John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the German composer, was not a handsome man. He was short and had a large humpback. He had his eye on a beautiful German girl named Frumtje. He was truly in love with her, but she on the other hand found him extremely repulsive. One day Moses found the courage to speak with her. Frumtje could not even raise her face to look at him. After several attempts to carry on a conversation with her, he asked her a simple question. “Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?” “Yes, I do,” she replied without looking up. “And do you?” “Yes, I do,” he replied. “You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord announces which girl he will marry. When I was born, my future bride was pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, ‘But your wife will be humpbacked.’ I called out to the Lord, ‘Oh, Lord, a humpbacked woman would be a tragedy. Please, Lord, give me the hump, and let her be beautiful.’” Frumtje later became Mrs. Moses Mendelssohn. He was willing to do anything for this woman even though there was no guarantee she would love him in return. What an example of unselfish love. When you love someone deeply, you are willing to give of yourself completely even to the point of sacrificing your own happiness. This is how Christ loves us. He loved us so much He was willing to carry a cross on His back and die an excruciating death for us because He loved us and wants to spend eternity with us. He, just like Moses Mendelssohn, had no guarantees we would love Him in return.
Oh, that I would love like that!! Whether a humpback or a cross, teach me how to love.
