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Not Boeing 747


Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”(Luke 7:47)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (I Corinthians 13:4-8)

          We love to think of ourselves as being loving. So far, Gary Chapman has connected kindness and patience with love. Both connections begin the description of love in I Corinthians 13. But that passage never uses the words forgive or forgiveness. It does, however, tell us that love isn’t self-seeking. When we don’t forgive, we’re nursing our wounds, seeking to harm someone else for the damage done to us. Love is not easily angered, but when we don’t forgive, we don’t let go of our anger. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Uh oh. Love being patient is mentioned once. Love being kind is mentioned once. Love forgiving isn’t mentioned, but at least three facets involved in forgiveness are. More importantly, Jesus makes the connection in Luke 7:47.
          I can’t help but think in terms of the large number of passengers – the enormous mass that a Boeing 747 lifts from the ground. Love defeats gravity, it lifts weights we could not lift, and allows 300-700 people (depending on the specific jet) to go much farther, much faster than they could on their own. Injury is gravity – it can be a black hole if we let it. Love provides the power needed for the 747 of forgiveness to break free of that gravity. Yes, I know – jets are not completely free of gravity. They must continue to use power to overcome it, just as we must continue to use the power of love to overcome the gravity of the injury and fly free.

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