It was August 16th, 1987 and the plane was going down. There were only seconds to buckle seat belts, assume the crash position and hold on for dear life. Hearts pounded, fingers fumbled and 155 passengers of Northwest flight 225 covered their heads with their hands. All except one.
Paula Chican, without a moment’s hesitation, unbuckled her seat belt, got down on her knees and stretched her arms and body around 4 year old Cecelia. In spite of the danger, disregarding the warnings, risking everything Paula was willing to give up her life to save that of her young daughter. Paula died in the attempt.
So did 155 out of the other 155 passengers. All died. Except one.
Cecelia lived. In fact, Cecelia’s injuries were so minor that investigators first assumed she had been a passenger in one of the nearby cars instead of the lone survivor of the horrific crash. But the passenger log confirmed the truth – Paula died so that Cecelia could live.
I John 3:16 says, We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
We were all going down. Every single one of us. There was no hope. There was nothing we could do to save ourselves. We could only cross our fingers and hold on for dear life. Except… Except our Christ left His seat in heaven, came down to earth and stretched out His arms and body so that we could live.
Jesus died. We live. That is love.
We are called to do the same. We are not asked to measure our Christian brother’s or sister’s worth, calculate the cost or groan at the inconvenience. We are called to love – as Christ loved. Sacrificially. Lavishly. Generously and at great cost. Just love.
While the opportunity to lay down our lives for another may not present itself today, other opportunities will. Will we cook a meal for our neighbor, run that errand for the elderly or wash the dishes for our spouse in an effort to pass on the incredible love of Christ?
Will we unbuckle ourselves from our own agenda, lay down our own desires and wrap our arms around the needs of others? Will you die to self so that others can live?
How can God’s love go viral in your life today?
Sign up for our Virtual Bible Study, “Contagious Love,” to receive the audio teaching and handout, as well as the homework – or to get more information – Just click the link below:
Click Here for “Contagious Love – A Virtual Bible Study on 1 John”
Tags: *Kim Avery, I John
