A Love To Be Thankful For

A Love To Be Thankful For
Psalms 136:1-3
Tamika Brown

In 1992 Sade released Ordinary Love. The hook is simply “this is no ordinary love”. And phew, just typing the words made me begin to sway! You don’t have to admit it if it did the same for you! That song and its refrain made us either be thankful for the love we had or hope that one day that type of love would be ours.

But what makes love extraordinary? What makes us so appreciative of it? Why is God’s love “A Love To Be Thankful For”? Goodness, compassion, and endurance.

Goodness “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good”
How great is it when we meet people and instantly vibe with them? You just inherently know that they are a “good “person. It’s a rare, but beautiful sensation, isn’t it? There is a comfort in experiencing goodness. There is a certain kind of peace and safety in goodness. The text reminds us that God is good. There are no qualifiers or tests to pass. God is good, and God’s goodness extends to all of us. As followers of Christ, this is the type of “good” person we should work to be. Welcoming those around us without test, without judgement.

Compassion “… His mercy endures forever” NKJV
The Greek word used for mercy is most often eleos which means compassion. If you live long enough, you will see that human beings have the capacity to act without compassion. There are those who can claim to love you in one breath and in the next breath berate and dismiss you. But with God, no matter what we do or how we show up, God shows us compassion. During this Lenten season, and every day, let’s get in the habit of pausing to question ourselves:
“Does what I am about to do or say reflect compassion?”

Endurance “…His love endures forever…” NIV
God’s love is well-exercised. God’s love goes the distance, then goes some more! For us, this type of love takes strength and courage. In our lives, love has to be a verb. We must BE love in order to be effective. But that takes work! We have to practice love daily so that it becomes a ‘muscle memory’; so that it is able to sustain through the peaks and the valleys.

Toni Morrison, in the novel Beloved, writes “Love is or it ain't. Thin love ain't love at all”.
God’s love IS! God’s love requires only that we show up - just as we are, flaws and all. God’s love shows itself to each of us differently, each of us experiences it in the ways we need it to look/feel at different moments in our lives. God’s love fills us and to covers us.  God’s love comforts and keeps us. God’s love strengthens us and encourages us.

God’s love is no ordinary love. God’s love is truly A Love to Be Thankful For.

Prayer: Gracious God, I thank you. Thank you for your love. Thank you for showing me how to be an example of love. I pray that you direct my steps away from anything calling itself love but is not. I pray that you remind me to practice love through goodness, compassion and endurance. In Jesus Name. Amen.