Defining Moments

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:35


Everyone’s lives are marked by defining moments; you know the ones, those moments in our lives that changed our lives forever. Some would finish the statement above saying, “some for better others for worse” but in the Lord we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purposes. There is an old saying that says, “God never wastes a hurt” and it’s true, beloved. God doesn’t set out to hurt His children and it’s not His goal but He does take even our hurts and turn them into blessings if only we would allow Him too. That’s where faith comes in.

As I think back over my life and the defining moments I have faced, I recall those things that served to make me and to brake me, the things that happened to make me who I am today. Can you recall loved one, the defining moments in your own life? For some it’s conquering a fear, for others its passing a test, or surviving that first job interview? For some people the greatest moment of their life, their defining moment as it were was getting married, or having a baby. Those are defining moments for sure. Defining moments mark all of our lives. No matter what our age, each of us has experiences in our lives that have shaped us, changed the way we see the world and ourselves. From first steps, to first dates, to first kisses, the most defining moment in our lives is when we discover that we are loved. Oh how I hope you realize that today, you are so very loved.

Cleaning out my bookcase a few weeks ago I was thumbing through some “Chicken Soup” books and came across a quote by Mother Theresa that said, “The greatest diseases is no TB or leprosy. It is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.”

Love is the greatest defining moment in each of our lives and the second is the exact opposite, hatred. Love and hate are the two greatest factors that define who we are and what we become in this life. Love and hate are strong motivators and yet we do well to remember that the bible reminds us that the longest lasting and greatest of gifts is love. The power of love is transforming.

Reading in Matthew 7:1-6 on judging others an old song came to mind because of its lyrical content. In the song are the lyrics, “There is no one here to judge you I only love you” and the song goes on to say, “Promising forever knowing that this moment might be all we ever find.” It reminded me again of the power of love and its power in defining our lives and changing us for the good. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God did not send His Son into the word to judge the world but that through His Son, through Jesus Christ our sins could be forgiven and we could experience eternal life. Love is what motivates God to work on our behalf and it’s His love that works in our lives to define us, moment by moment. Of all the moments, those defining moments that you and I will ever experience in this life none will compare to the moment when we realized that God loved us, that Jesus Christ died for us and rose again on our behalf and is working still in us and for us.

Oh how I pray you have a defining moment today, child of God. A moment so real, so true it transforms you. A moment when your heart and soul grasp the fact that you are loved, that you matter, that your life counts, and that God cares. Don’t let the world define you, spend time with the Lord today, listen for His voice and the words He speaks to you. He is for you, He will always be for you and it’s His love that will transform you from glory to glory! Rest in that today, loved one, rest in the arms of the one who loves you!

“The Greatest gift is love”

1 Corinthians 13

I LOVE YOU!