Love in the Middle Of
By
Lexi Cole Ellis
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!..."
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!..."
1
John 3:1a (NIV)
In 1882, George
Matheson sat alone on the night of his sister’s wedding. Twenty years prior,
Matheson was first in his class, a promising minister and engaged to be
married. Devastatingly, he gradually became blind and his fiancée left him
because of it. His sister cared for him, but life was changing with her
marriage. Alone and blind, this accomplished minister struggled with resurfaced
feelings of loss.(1)
Loss is universal. The
older I get, the more profound loss I see in my life and in the lives of people
I love: loss of a relationship, loss of health, loss of a job, loss of a dearly
loved one. Some loss is chosen; often, it’s loss we never asked for.
Recognizing his own loss, Matheson wrote this hymn in five minutes:
O
Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O
light that follows all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O
Joy that seeks me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O
Cross that lifts up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be. (2)
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be. (2)
There are two things
that have touched me through this hymn. The first speaks of a love from a
powerful God that is unfailing. The mere fact that His love is steadfast is
extremely powerful. His is a love that will never let us down…it won’t let us
go. Secondly, Matheson alludes to the Holy Spirit who follows, seeks and guides
us. In the midst of loss, we can choose to be in relationship with the Creator
of the Universe who comforts His children and guides them through His Spirit.
Our loss is oh so real.
Our God comforts and heals in the midst of our brokenness, and His
love is forever constant. Matheson experienced loss - - loss of his sight, loss
of a loved relationship, loss of a hoped-for future - - but in that, he chose
to cling to His God of Love.
GOING DEEPER:
1. How have you
seen your God of Love at work in the middle of your own loss?
FURTHER READING:
(2) When I was in
college, we sang this hymn arranged by my director. Here’s another arrangement
of this hymn (some classic Gaither) if you would like to listen to
it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAH1HuUqLZo
Lexi
is married to Andrew, serves with Oakwood’s Children’s Ministries, teaches at
Lake Country Christian Academy and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
