Reflection: Sacrificial love enabled by Jesus
Just over two months ago I was in Rwanda. It was my first time being in Rwanda. African Enterprise support gospel ministry there and are also being the hands and feet of Jesus to the people of Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills. Despite its natural beauty, Rwanda has had a very, very difficult past; in 1994 a million people were killed in 100 days in a genocide.
I travelled to a farming community that our ministry is supporting and resourcing. I met a man and a woman who are neighbours and partner together in the local farming cooperative. They work well together for the success of the cooperative and their livelihood, but I was struck when I was told that the man living next door had killed the woman’s husband during the genocide.
The woman became a Christian after the genocide and in total obedience to the Lord and to this scripture, she forgave the man. God gave her the power and the strength to forgive and face her neighbour daily. On the other side of the fence, the man faces his guilt and sees the consequences of his actions every day. After becoming a Christian, he daily takes this guilt to the Lord who removes his heavy burden. As part of the farming cooperative, they pray together, read the Bible, and do farming together and they’re flourishing in the hands of the Lord. What does it mean to truly love one another? It’s a sacrificial love enabled by Jesus in which you move past the hurt, forgive and heal.
Prayer:
Father, loving one another seems easy to talk about but when we come to practically show love, we often fall short. We ask that you give us the grace to know how to love others sacrificially, as you love us. We pray that you give us the strength to forgive, to be patient, to be generous, to be listening, and to be hospitable. May you reveal your love in this way to us, Amen.