Image of Love

I just got back from working out. It wasn’t the best run I’d ever had physically, but I think it will turn out to be one of the most memorable experiences of this season of life. I had just finished running and was walking to cool down, when in my peripheral I noticed a slightly overweight man poised on the end of a nearby treadmill. He was balancing on the edges, so as not to step on the moving belt, and in front of him was his wife. She was a frail woman, slightly hunched over, unable to walk normal, yet bravely upping the speed on the treadmill. Her workout went in stages: first she would hold onto the handle provided, then she would utter something that only her husband could understand, and he would lovingly support her waist; as he did that, she would let go of the handle and walk with arms pumping furiously at her sides to keep up with the speed of the belt. A few minutes later, she would grab onto the handle again, and he would resume his position at the end of the treadmill, hands at his side.

This went on for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, I stood by trying to figure out why a chord was struck so deeply in my soul. Part of me wanted to cry, while another part wanted to smile, and somewhere deeper within, it made me want to worship. Not only was it one of the purest pictures of marital love that I have ever witnessed, but as I stood there trying not to stare, it was as if God was calling out to me—deep calling to deep, “Jessica, I love you this much.”

The depth of impact of those few moments took me by surprise. Then as I ambled back to my home, I was reminded of God’s words in Ephesians 5:25,29: Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole…no one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body (Message).

It’s in those moments where the treadmill of life doesn’t seem to stop, where it continues to roll on, full speed ahead, even seemingly upping the speed at times, that God is most present. It’s in those moments where we cry out to him, sometimes in words that only He can understand, as our frail bodies fight to keep the speed, and our arms pump furiously at our sides, that He lovingly and gently reaches out to support us and help us make it to our next stage of momentary stability. His love is one that is willing to walk into crowded gyms and uncomfortable situations in order to show us how much He truly loves us. His love is one marked by giving, not getting, and his love will ultimately make us whole.