What’s Love Got to Do with It?
They stood at the foot of the bed, gazing at their 19-year-old son. Clinging to each other in utter disbelief, they couldn’t comprehend what they were seeing. Their only son was unidentifiable … and the look of horror on their faces … unforgettable.
Photo by Camilo Jimenez
John Mark was an EMT in a small town in the middle of nowhere. He and his partner were headed to the scene of an accident when a drunk driver ran a red light and slammed into the vehicle’s passenger side, where John Mark was sitting. On impact, the ambulance flipped over twice and burst into flames.
I was late for work that day. When I got to the hospital, I went straight to the vending machine to get myself a can of Tab. After arriving at the unit where I worked, my head nurse sent me directly over to the burn unit.
B.U.R.N.S.
A Hard Place to Be Alive, a Hard Place to Die, a Hard Place to Work.
When I got to the burn unit, he was already there. Oh … my … God! John Mark was burned over 95 percent of his body. Sadly, I knew how this was going to end.
My stress level started rising. I was the admitting nurse, and too many people filled the room. I wanted everyone to clear out so I could do my job.
I remember thinking, “I wish ‘these people’ would get out of my way.”
“These people” ended up being John Mark’s mother and father. I realized it too late. I had wounded them … deeply. Their son was going to die and they needed to be there, yet I had made them leave the room.
I was so young.
What does a 23-year-old know, anyway, about tragedy and loss? In my case, absolutely nothing. I’m a parent now, the mother of five. Tears flow freely when I think of John Mark’s mom looking at him in that hospital bed, knowing deep down in her heart she was going to lose her only baby boy.
God has kept this incident alive in my memory to remind me of the importance of loving people.
“Love God” is the first of His greatest commandments in the Bible, and the second is to “love people”—to love them well the way Jesus did, even when it’s hard and inconvenient.
Can I encourage you to think about the people in your life who are having a rough go of it, whose lives are flat-out hard … complicated, messy, broken. Leaving them miserable, defeated, and discouraged. Can I challenge you to ask yourself, “How well am I loving them?”
One thing that captivates me about the Holy Scriptures is that so many of life’s answers can be found in them. How to love others well is no exception.
What can it look like to love others well?
Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton
God reminds us in His Word:
Be Kind. Remember, Every Person You Meet Is Battling Their Version of Pain and Suffering.
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ Jesus has forgiven you. —Ephesians 4:32
Choose Your Words Carefully. Don’t Try to Say Something Profound. It’s Rarely Helpful.
Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. —Proverbs 16:24
Don’t Judge. Show Compassion, Comfort, and Mercy.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. —Psalm 103:8
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. —2 Corinthians 1:4
Support and Encourage.
Share each other’s burdens … Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. —Ephesians 4:29
PRAY. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone. Most People Who Are Suffering Will Allow You to Pray for Them.
We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. —1 Thessalonians 1:2
Love God and Love People,
the Two Greatest Commandments in the Bible.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” —Mother Teresa
—Ally