Reckless Love

I made a habit of spending my first hour of the day with the Lord. One morning, praying, out of nothing, I heard an instruction to invite my neighbours for supper. My respond was: this is not going to work out, but because it is You, Lord, I wil do it. But I actually just wanted to prove Him, that this one He got wrong, expecting all neighbours to reject the invitation. So I wrote cards, inviting them and asking about possible dates. I knew all my neighbours to a certain level, we talked casually when we met, but there was one person I never met. A man living in an apartment on the other side of the hall. I never saw anyone coming out or goint in there, Over 4 years! I thought for a second, if it is safe to invite somebody you never met before to your apartment, But then, I will not be alone, so I dismissed the idea quickly.

So imagine my surprise when this man replied as the first one. He gave me a positive answer saying he will make every effort to come. Others accepted an invitation as well, only a young couple living in the corner rejected saying they are busy. So we set the date, I did my best in the kitchen (for those who don´t know me it means spending more than 20minutes preparing a meal) and as first arrived this strange man. He was friendly looking, but very quiet, in his 50-ies.Then came the older lady – a widow, dressed up like she was going to opera, wearing high heels and a beautiful scarf. I considered changing my jeans, but had really no time. Others joined in and I felt confident, it is my territory, my rules, so I asked them if it i sok when we pray together before the meal. All of them said immediately yes! So I prayed and because I was so excited I made a bunch of grammar errors. But I know the Lord hears my heart, not my bad german, so it was ok. As I was serving food, someone asked the man what is he doing for living. He answered something that sounded to me like pastor. But in german two words for pastor (Pfarrer) and driver (Fahrer) sound very similar, so I wasn´t sure which one that was. Trying to avoid a stupid question I waited. Until someone asked catholic or evangelical? And he replied: evangelical. Yes! How cool is that! I could feel he is tired of serving people, and in moment he was looking for a new job – nothing to do with theology. Obviously he enjoyed the time together and from being very quiet he started talking more and more, sharing different stories from his previous jobs in funeral home and refugees camps.

We all actually shared, our stories, what we live, what we believe, what our struggles are. I realised now I know them much better, so I can pray for them better. They left after midnight. The whole time I could feel God´s presence in the room and I could see and hear His beloved children enjoying themselves, chatting and laughing. He was pleased.

The days after I realised how God wanted to remind this pastor, that He is with him in the midst of all this trouble, that He never forsake hi, never abandoned him. And that His love is real and reckless. I was touched by His perseverance, by His kindness. He will never stop chasing you. Wherever you turn, He will be there waiting for you, whatever you do, He will be ready to guide you every step through. This reminded me of the refrain of the song called Reckless Love: There is no shadow You won´t light up, no mountain You won´t climb up, coming after me. There is no wall You won´t kick down, no lie You won´t tear down, coming after me.