John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Although it is fictional, it is meaningful, nonetheless.
There once was a girl who hated herself. You see, she had become blind in her early teens from a rare disease. Not only did she hate herself but she hated everyone else too. She was angry at the world, angry at God, angry at everyone.
There was one person, however, who had known her for years and stood by her side through all this. It was her childhood friend, who loved her ever since grade school. Now in their 20’s, he wanted to marry her.
One day he worked up the nerve to ask her for her hand in marriage. Her reply was that if she could only see the world, she would marry him.
Soon after, someone donated a pair of eyes and she went to surgery to have her malfunctioning ones replaced. It was a miracle. After a few weeks, she took off her bandages and she could see once again. And who was standing by her side, as always? Of course, it was the man who loved her.
“Now that you can see the world, he said, “Will you marry me?” The girl was shocked to discover that he too was blind, and sadly, still refused his hand in marriage. Undeniably, he was devastated.
Sometime later, she received a letter from him, sharing his undying love for her. He signed it, “Please, my love, just take care of my eyes.”
Hmmm. A sweet story. But few of us remember what life was like when we were yet blind to the truth of our salvation in Jesus — and who to thank for their labor in love and prayer and boldness in sharing that truth with us, no?
Let’s never forget where we came from and those who gave of themselves so willingly for the opening of our eyes. And let’s also strive to be the kind of people who are willing to lay down our life for a friend. There’s so much work to be done!
