Showing Agape Love
Agape is the highest form of love: selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial. It empowers us to respond calmly to difficulties, show patience while waiting, and sacrifice without complaining. We demonstrate agape when we forgive. In the story of the prodigal son, love made it possible for his father to let go of past hurts and forgive his son. We can do the same for people who hurt us, though that doesn’t mean we should allow the harm to continue. The son came home with few expectations, but his father greeted him and dressed him in the finest garments. Godly love, which keeps no record of wrongs, made it possible to show that much generosity. Upon receiving back what “was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:32), the father hosted a celebration and expressed his love by serving others. The son, who had both abandoned his father and squandered his inheritance, was once again given the rights of a son. When we sin, God patiently waits for us to turn back to Him. He accepts our repentance and rejoices in our return. Our intimacy with Him is then restored. That’s the kind of agape love we are meant to extend to others.
