“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8:38
We’ve been talking recently about being anti-fragile and how in Jesus, anything that is cut down, attacked or destroyed will ultimately come back stronger. The primary reason this is true is because love is anti-fragile and God is love. If your daughter is dating a boy and you don’t like him, the worst thing you can do for that relationship is to tell her to stop dating the young man. Although it seems crazy and counterintuitive, probably the best thing is to be positive or stay neutral. Whether it’s true love or just infatuation, attacking the connection invalidates the strong feelings that are happening and almost guarantees a stubborn determination to keep going. Young love is tenacious and obstinate; try cutting it down and it will come back more robust! The same is true of a good marriage. Though tested by trials of fire and the stress of daily life, when two people are devoted for the long-haul, troubles only cause their connection to grow stronger. In fact, it’s difficulties that bring a richness to a relationship that could not be cultivated any other way. Friend, true love is anti-fragile! No matter how much it is tried and tested, it never breaks. Because Jesus is the embodiment of perfect love, the same is true of His incredible devotion to you. Regardless of how many times you mess up, walk away, turn your back or just plain disobey His instruction, He will not stop loving you. His love is a gift and it has nothing to do with your performance. In fact, He chose to love you long before you ever thought of loving Him. You are a benefactor of the incredible affection and devotion God has for His beloved Son, and He has transferred the great joy He finds in Jesus to you. Since you are in Him, you make God happy, and that means you have received a gift of love that is indestructible and completely anti-fragile. As you live in His power, you will bring His resilient, unshakable, and determined love to an increasingly fragile world! Isn’t that great news? |
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for your resilient and anti-fragile love. I choose to receive it and walk in it so that I can bring it to a needy, fragile world.
Reflection
How has God’s unshakable love for you enabled you to become anti-fragile?
2 Responses
I’ve learned to stay strong. This has been a typical year for it. It has been a rough one. I lost my brother to brain cancer this past July. Also I’ve lost my aunt in the paradise fire. Her home was of many others that were destroyed. Keep my family and I in your prayers in the coming months and days. Take care.
Hi Ralph,
We are certainly praying for you in this time of loss, and we thank the Lord that you have been able to stay strong in Him.
“Jesus, in your Mighty Name, we ask that you would comfort Ralph as he mourns the loss of his brother and his aunt. We know that you are near to the brokenhearted, so we pray that you will wrap your arms of love around him and give him hope and peace in this time. With the approaching holidays, may he be able to reflect on precious memories with a heart full of gratitude, and may he look forward to the promise of Heaven. Bless him, keep him and bring all that YOU are to his midst.”
God loves you and so do we!
Bobby & Team