A love like no other

Sometimes there is a friend, early on, say, in high school, who writes in your yearbook. Pages and pages, continued here and then over there, with a message that defies time and space.

Dispensing with the cursory, superficial gibberish, this friend heads straight for the truth with words so profound that, at 17 years old, you actually transcribe them so you can call on them again and again. Each time you do, they speak something new.

They planted a seed in me then, and now they reverberate through the ages. It’s as if Jesus Himself spoke to me through this friend.

Today, I have a special prayer for you: I hope that you find fulfillment, and that you are at peace with yourself and God.  Because that is what I think is most important, what gives meaning and direction.  His love is so great, Dear One, that the very thought of someone who loves me that much, in spite of the cursory lip service and lack of time I give Him makes me cry almost in shame and in joy.

There are so many pressures.  After all, you will only be happy if you get straight A’s, hit .400, play at every game, go to every party, attend every Prom, lose 10 pounds, get accepted to five colleges, win a scholarship that covers tuition, room and board, and more or less win honor and glory in every endeavor.

But you don’t have to.  Even if you hit .155 or sit in McDonald’s on Homecoming night, or fail every class, God loves you and is proud of you anyway. And that alone is enough to give you courage to stay up an extra hour studying, or keep running for office, or whatever.  Someone who loves you so totally deserves never to be let down.

All of my love.

Imagine a love like this…