A child was told that if she jumped over the puddle she could have the lollypop. In order to make it more appealing to her the lollipop was placed at the other end of the puddle. It was a pretty big puddle, she was small. She was told she could not walk in the puddle, she could not get wet. She looked at the lollipop with longing. But, when she looked at the puddle she thought it was an impossible feat. She looked down and tears came down her face.
At that moment the person challenging her approached her and asked her, "What's wrong?" She could barely speak while crying, "You made it hard for me?" "It's not hard for me, I can probably just walk over it," the person answered. "But, you are big. It's not fair," the child answered. "Well you are right, it is not fair. How about I help you?" Her face lit up and she cried out with excitement, "You can bring me the lollipop?" The person replied, "No I cannot do that, that's breaking the rules. But, How about I help you jump the puddle; if you want?" The girl looked puzzled, "how can you do that?" she asked. When you jump I will grab you and carry you through." The girl lit up again, and then looked puzzled again. "But, then you will get wet?" she asked. "Well, yes, that is true. But, the rule is for you not to get wet, not me."
So the young girl jumped as high as she could, the person grabbed her, and walked her through the puddle, without her getting wet. And, she was able to get her lollipop. What was impossible for her, the bigger person made possible. Can we love as God loves? That is jumping the puddle for us. And, we probably will not only get wet, we will drown trying.
We cannot love like God because we are no longer like God, Paul says in Romans 3: 10 – 12,
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Paul says in Galatians 5:17 that our "… flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." So, instead we do the works of the flesh (Galatians 5: 19 -21). Which are the same kinds of things that 1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 8 say that love is not. Things the Law condemns. But, Paul says that there is hope for us. He tells the Galatians, as well as us, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16) and that "… if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law (Galatians 5:18). Those in whom the Spirit dwells are led by the Spirit. When the Spirit dwells in them, He brings with Him gifts and His fruit. The first facet of His fruit is love (agape). Against love, and all other facets of His fruit, there is no law.
It is then the Spirit that helps us "jump the puddle" of impossibility. Being that the Holy Spirit is God, what Christ told the disciples about God applies to Him, "… With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). On our own we cannot love as God loves. But, Through Christ's strength we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). Christ strength is ours through the indwelling Holy Spirit. We can love as God loves through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com