A little boy asks if it’s his fault his parents are divorced

A mother weeps at the loss of a child

A father mourns knowing his son won’t return from war

A kid with special needs is made to feel unworthy

A single mom worries if she will be able to pay rent

A little girl is teased for not being pretty enough

A victim of assault feels ashamed and broken

A homeless man lies awake at night, cold and hungry

A young man struggles with the pain of chronic disease

A woman cries as she remembers her husband of 70 years

Families sob as loved ones are taken by gun violence and drunk driving

Communities are shaken by unspeakable disasters

So much hurting

So much pain

So many emotions

What could possibly change?

How can people be made to feel whole again?

How can one have hope in the midst of suffering?

In the midst of brokenness?

I don’t have all the answers

In fact, I hardly have any answers

While nothing seems to be certain,

There is one thing I know to be constant

And that is beauty of God’s love

One thing I can be sure of is that God’s love never fails

God’s love never changes

God’s love is more powerful than any struggle

God’s love overpowers darkness and hate

His love is breathtaking

I can’t help but think of a number of words to describe His love

Marvelous

Wonderful

Reassuring

Unequivocal

Limitless

Beautiful

Everlasting

Indescribable

Amazing

This list goes on and on

His love is emphasized in everything He made

He loves us so much that He gave us the complexity and the beauty that is His creation

The moon and the stars that shine in the night sky

The sunset tinted with orange, pink, and blue

The clouds that slowly move across the heavens

The rocky canyons of the dessert, the artic glaciers, the savannahs, and the rainforests

Animals both small and large that fill the land

The fish, the whales, the dolphins, the manatees, the frogs

The towering trees and flowing rivers

All of this He created because of His love for us

His love is also painted in the image of the cross

This ultimate symbol of pain and death

He turned into a symbol of everlasting love

His son endured so much pain as they mocked Him and spat on Him

Yet He loved them regardless

He has experienced our every hurt

Our every sickness

Our every pain

He knows exactly everything we are going through

So what can we make of Christ’s sacrifice?

What can we say of all of this beautiful creation?

One word

And that word is LOVE

Love is found in that moon and in those stars

Love is found in those beautiful sunsets

Love is found in the clouds

Love is found in the canyons, glaciers, savannahs, and rainforests

Love is found in the creatures on both the sea and the land

Love is found in the trees and the rivers

More than anything, love is found in the cross

Love is found in Christ’s sacrifice

Love is found in Christ’s death

Love is found in Christ’s resurrection

Love is found in Christ’s promise that one day He will return

And love is also found when we trust God in all of our pain

In all of our suffering

Love is found in the boy who encourages other children whose parents are divorced

Love is found in the memories a mother has of her child

Love is found in the soldier who risks his life and is killed in the line of duty

And love is found in the father who encourages other families who lost loved ones in war

Love is found is found in the kid with special needs who knows that he can make a difference

And love is found in those who advocate on his behalf

Love is found in the hard working single mother striving to feed her children and send them to college

Love is found in the little girl who knows that God sees her as beautiful

And love is found in the children who build her up

Love is found in the victims of assault who realize that in Christ, they are not victims but victors

And love is found in those who use their trials to encourage others

And love is found in the communities that fight on their behalf

Love is found in the homeless man, who while having almost nothing, gives to those who also have nothing

And love is found in those who seek to empower men and women out of poverty

Love is found in the young man with chronic pain who uses his struggles to encourage others going through similar pain

Love is found in the memories the elderly woman has of her husband of many years

Love is found in the families who forgive those who took their loved ones by a gun or by a car

Love is found in the communities coming together in face of tragic disaster

These are just some of the examples of what God’s love looks like

If love can be found in the midst of so much pain and suffering, then why can’t we unashamedly share the love God has for us

So let us tell the whole world of this love

Love overcomes every painful circumstance

Love transcends color, race, gender, and nationality

Love knows no boundaries

Love knows no obstacles

The love of God is a most beautiful thing

Marvelous

Wonderful

Reassuring

Unequivocal

Limitless

Beautiful

Everlasting

Indescribable

Amazing

This is love! THIS IS LOVE!