A Weekly Meditation of Pastor Chang (July 5, 2009)

<Love is patient and kind>

(Writing after the third Sunday of Mrs. Chang’s brain surgery)

When I begin this writing, my heart fills with thanksgiving. This is the third week after my wife’s surgery. I still can see and experience many kinds of love expressions from our church members. I know this kind of love is from our Lord Jesus. Many sisters in Christ still take turns to visit my wife and bring meals to be with her and keep her good company, and because of that her recovery is getting better and better, although, she still cannot fully remember many things.  

I still remember at least two months ago, when my wife was diagnosed to have a brain tumor and she needed to have a surgery,12 prayer warriors from Flushing church decided to take turn to fast and pray for my wife. Hopefully she did not need to go through this pain and suffering of brain surgery. I agreed. Yet, soon, my wife and I noticed from the Lord that it was God’s will for my wife to go through this surgery. We obeyed. Why? If she did not have to go through the surgery and God healed her immediately and directly, was it not better for God to get the whole glory? But my wife and I sensed that God had another better plan. He wanted us to learn humbleness and other kind of spiritual lessons through this surgery. Even we needed to go through medical doctors; God still could get full glory. In addition to that, God used this opportunity for our 2 Grace Christian Churches and 3 preaching stations to express their love to us and manifest the kindness in the process of my wife’s recovery. It seems that the 12 prayer warriors’ prayers did not work, but I do not think so. I still believe that God has used their prayers to transform the suffering to be blessings.  

Recently, I see my wife’s physical condition is getting better, only the recovery of her memories is slow. It provides several spiritual lessons for me to learn, especially patience and kindness. I notice that our Lord Jesus is right when he says, “Only the sick needs doctors.” (Matthew 9:12) And the healthy is very difficult to understand the pain and agony of the sick. Without good and strong faith in Christ, the sick always has difficulty to bear the pain without complaint. And a constant complaining patient only makes himself miserable and those who surround him miserable too. Thank God, my wife is a very good patient. She doesn’t complain. I can image any sickness occurs between a couple that is a test of their love and patience.  

Sometimes, I ask young couples, “Why do you love your spouse?” Regularly I get the answers are like these: “because he (she) is handsome (beautiful).” or “because he (she) is very soft and cared for me.” or “because he (she) is very talented and gifted.” I believe these are good reasons for people to love each other. But in case, one day something happens, and these reasons for love are gone or changed; can one continue to keep genuine love for one’s spouse?

I have one better answer, if someone asks me, “Why do you love your wife?” My answer will be, “because I have a marital covenant with her. And this covenant is a life long commitment for we made this commitment before the Lord when we got married, and it is forever effective until we die.”  

Nevertheless, this answer is still not better than the following one. I believe the best answer is, “because God loves us, so that He provides His best love for us to love each other forever long.”  

God’s love is called, “agape.” Which is different from human love, the only love comes from heaven. And it has the following characteristics: It is an absolute and self-determined love (an incentive and automatic love.) Furthermore, it is unconditional and perpetual. Finally, it is always sweet and enjoyable but not forceful. When one experiences such kind of love will give the best response to pursue for it. That is the reason this kind of love can not be compromised with other kind of love, for it is so valuable, incomparable, and unbeatable.