Enduring Love

by Rev. Thomas R. Fuller

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

I’ll never forget my first encounter with diaper changing. Our brand new baby girl had just been home from the hospital for a couple of days and Cindy thought I was ready to take care of her all by myself. Since I had taken the time to carefully study a number of baby books, I was filled with confidence in my baby managing skills. And, considering the fact that Cindy was only going to be away for about an hour, I anticipated a delightful, special moment between father and daughter.

About ten seconds after the door closed behind Cindy as she left, the baby began to cry. Utilizing my vast, recently gained knowledge from all those baby books, I knew to check the diaper before anything else. Sure enough, a diaper change was in order. Without going into great detail, let me just say that this simple, little task turned into quite a messy ordeal. Who could have anticipated those kicking legs, which in short order kind of transformed an isolated problem into a room-sized environmental catastrophe? And back in those days, the cloth diapers we used required pins. I think I only stabbed myself about half a dozen times.

Diaper changing is not what I would classify as a fun kind of thing. It’s dirty, smelly, and messy. I suppose if we only changed diapers when we felt like it, then a whole lot of babies would be in a world of hurt. But we do it because of love. And that’s how love is. When it’s real, it means more than just the fun stuff and the things we feel like doing. It takes endurance.

Mother’s day is coming up, and the greatest thing about mothers is that they are willing to suck it up and do the hard work of love. I’m sure that my mom never once thought to herself, “Gee, I wish little Tommy needed a diaper change. I’m really in the mood for one!” I know that when we had a dessert shortage, she really wanted some when she said she didn’t for fear that we wouldn’t have enough. I bet that if the truth be known, she would have much rather had a new dress than to buy a Cub Scout uniform for me. I imagine that on many a night, she really could have used some relaxation time for herself, instead of reading bedtime stories to us.

Love can be a very confusing thing to some folks. Love can even be completely missed, when the “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things” part of it is left out.

I’m thankful that my mom got it right. And I’m thankful for God’s great love. Jesus didn’t die on the cross for our sins because he wanted to die that way. He did it because of a love that takes guts, sacrifice and endurance. To all the moms who have risen to the high calling of this kind of love, I wish a Happy Mother’s Day!