Love Gives

1 John 3:16

On the bus I work on as a monitor, is a young girl named Allie who is my friend. Allie is around eight years old and has straight brown hair, shockingly blue eyes, and freckles. Allie is incredibly bright, funny, and kind. I met Allie on her first day of kindergarten and she quickly worked her way into my heart. She sits next to me every morning and we talk about how she’s doing in school, what she wants to be when she grows up, and her family. She often asks me about my family as well, what my favorite candy is, and the places I’ve been. She even created a special fist-bump ritual just for the two of us!

One morning, not too long ago, Allie told me that she was bringing me a dollar the next day. I chuckled a little bit and asked her why she was bringing me a dollar, she looked directly into my eyes and said, “Because you’re the best bus monitor, and you’re my favorite.” I smiled and thanked her and told her she didn’t need to do that, she looked me in the eye again and in a very matter-of-fact tone told me, “I want to and I’m going to.” That let me know that the discussion was settled! I smiled and forgot about it. You can probably guess what happened the next morning when she got on the bus. When she pulled out a crumpled dollar bill that looked like it had been in someone’s shoe since the Reagan administration I was stunned. I know that Allie’s family doesn’t have a lot of money, and I couldn’t believe that she was offering me a treasure that could have been saved to buy a toy or candy. I tried to give it back; however, she was adamant, “No, I want to give it to you!” She was willing to make a sacrifice in love.

First John was written to a church community that was experiencing tension and conflict. Some members of this community had turned from the Apostle’s teaching and had begun rejecting Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God and were now trying to get others in the community to do the same. The author wants to remind his readers that they are to love as Jesus loves, unconditionally and sacrificially. Jesus' sacrificial love expressed on the cross was proof that he was God. When we show that sacrificial love to others in both big and small ways we display Christ’s love to a world in desperate need of His grace. May our love always be expressed in sacrificial ways that lead others to our Savior.

In Christ’s Love,

Mike