I saw a story about astronaut Reid Wiseman and the Artemis II crew while they were out near the moon. In the middle of this historic mission, they paused and asked Mission Control if they could name a crater “Carroll,” after Wiseman’s late wife, who passed away from cancer. The whole crew got emotional, even hugging afterward. It was a deeply loving and human moment.
It really stuck with me. Imagine loving someone so much that even while you’re experiencing literal outerspace, you’re still thinking about them, honoring them, carrying them with you.
Coming out of Easter weekend, it got me thinking… love is so powerful. Reid’s display of love for not only his wife but also his two daughters, who get to see their mom in the moon every night, is so powerful. The human love we experience is so powerful. And yet still, it pales in comparison to what Christ did for us. Jesus willingly went to the cross, knowing the cost, choosing to suffer and die so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. That’s not just love: it’s the ultimate, sacrificial, undeserved kind of love.
There are days when I feel and comprehend the miraculousness and magnitude of that love, but it is not often enough.
I want to feel, comprehend, and honor the love Christ shows us by being an example of His love.
So I wanted to ask you all:
Aside from the Easter story, what is the greatest act or display of love you’ve ever heard of or experienced?
Such a good reflection! One thing that immediately came to my mind was right out of college when I had very little money and was trying to plan a wedding and shared a prayer request in my women’s Bible study, asking for God’s provision because I didn’t know how I was going to pay for some car repairs that came up. The next week one of the women in the group handed me a $200 check. That was a ton of money to me then, but more than that, it was such an overwhelmingly beautiful display of generosity and care. Even more meaningful was that this woman and her husband were Christian financial advisors and involved in Christian missions around giving and managing money, so I felt it was such an amazing way to not only talk the talk, but truly live out Christian giving and generosity. I was so blessed by it.
I really had to think about this. Never mind any act of love I’ve heard about. What can be greater than what Jesus did. I’m thinking about my own experience and when I felt loved. I don’t know that its the greatest, but I remember a time when I felt such gratitude. I think love is best expressed in the giving.
We had been traveling throughout Europe. 13 countries in 6 months and on a budget. Back packing and hostels. Trains, buses and hitchhiking. We had just hitch hiked into the outskirts of Paris and were left off in a no man’s land of highways and gas stations, so we walked to the nearest bank. We had no money, only travel cheques and our goal was to cash them in for francs. From there we could get something to eat and then find our place for the night.
The bank we found, far from any city life didn’t exchange traveler’s cheques. The nearest bank that would exchange them was miles into the city. We had no money to get there, so we sat down on the comfy chairs provided and wondered what we would do. Walking would take us most of the night and we were tired and hungry.
A woman approached and gave us money. She didn’t want anything in return and she didn’t speak much English. It was more than enough to get where we needed to be. I was so grateful to this stranger who gave because she saw. It was very much like love. The kind of love you have for someone because we’re all part of the same family.