Summary: What measure of love are we willing to extend to one another? Through an extraordinary story, what Mary Johnson has been able to do within her lifetime speaks volumes about unconditional love under the anvil of forgiveness. In February of 1993, her 20-year-old son was shot in the head by Oshea Israel, a 16 year old, after an argument at a party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally wanting to see justice, she turned her anger into compassion. Now she and Israel are next-door neighbors. Today, she counsels mothers of murdered children while he visits prisons and churches. He shares about forgiveness and reconciliation. What could possibly compel such acts of love and care in one of the most unimaginable circumstances of life? A mother mourning the loss of her son embraces the one who caused her pain. And where do each of us fall within the limits and limitlessness of God's love? 1 John 3 verses 16-18 shares, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." God's love is active. It reaches far beyond the depths of human emotions and demands a deeper effort of placing one's self aside for a greater message. Yet we are incapable of reaching this level of compassion without the Holy Spirit's activity within our lives. Our corruptible nature disables us from being able to reach such levels of care, yet through the Spirit's guidance, we are enabled to exemplify by word, action and deed incredible doses of love--a love that defines us as relational with God and not pulled by the tenants of our surroundings.
