Pastor Craig Bowler is the visionary leader and primary teaching pastor at Sanctuary Church in Kennesaw, GA, and has been a supporter of Saving Susan Ministry since the beginning. He introduced Jay to Dr. Baskin, who took Jay to Cambodia for the first time and has been to Cambodia himself to love on the children of Saving Susan. He is a prayer warrior for the ministry and we are grateful for his love and support!
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4.19
On this Valentine’s Day, I’m reminded that He loved me first. God loved me before I got Him a card, or a “be mine” heart-shaped candy or a dozen red roses, or even chocolate-dipped strawberries. Before there was anything good in me. Before I did anything funny, or smart, or even spiritual, He loved me. God loved me first. One day Jesus was with a friend. A friend whom He loved first. This friend had deeply wounded Jesus. It was brutal, the worst kind of betrayal. If you know betrayal, then you have felt what Jesus felt…and He has felt what you’ve felt. A lot had gone down since this betrayal and Jesus and this friend are now standing face to face. Jesus now looking in the eyes of His friend, probably His best friend. There was an awkward and uncomfortable silence. One of those long pauses where neither person is sure what to say or what to do. Just looking at this friend would remind Jesus of His deep pain, the pain that still stings, and yet Jesus chooses to love first. Jesus inhales and with incredible vulnerability asks, “Simon, do you love me?” Can you imagine? Can you imagine asking your best friend who just betrayed you that question? “Hey, you really hurt me the other day. The pain has been unbearable. I was devastated. But I want to ask you something, ‘Do you love me?’” Have you ever asked someone if they love you? I’m not sure there is a more vulnerable question one can ask another, “Do you love me?” Here’s Jesus standing on the beach with his best friend with all their past, and all their future, and in this present moment, He waits for His best friend to respond. The silence awaiting the response is deafening. Peter shifts and rubs his eyes with his hands. He looks at Jesus and all he can see is compassion – Jesus loving first.
One Valentine’s Day back at Sevilla Elementary I had all my small cards and my heart-shaped candies in a box. I held them proudly as my brother and I skated up to school. But in my backpack, I had another card. One that I’d made for Lisa. It was a homemade card. I drew the red and pink heart on the front with some puffy blue and white clouds on top. On the inside I’d written, “Dear Lisa, I like you. Do you like me?” Under the hand-drawn skateboard, I wrote the words “Yes” and “No.” Underneath each word was a box. And then I wrote, “Check the box.” I was so anxious, so afraid. I was proclaiming my love first. At recess, Lisa came over to me with the card. She smiled as she handed it back to me. I was both scared and excited to open it. Her smile reassured me so I opened the card to find that she’d drawn her own box and written the word, “Maybe.” “Maybe?” I was horrified. God makes the first move. In the person of Jesus love becomes incarnate. His love is offered freely to you and to me. “Do you love me?” Many days my response is “maybe.” “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” 1 John 4.18 We love because He first loved us. And yet many of us are afraid to love. Many days I’m afraid to love first, or even to love back. My love has been refused or rejected or worse yet my love has been rebuffed by a simple, “maybe.” Love enters into the deepest and darkest of places. In fact, love flourishes not in the sunlight, but in the darkness. Love dives deep. Love takes the initiative and enters into the brokenness and aloneness. Love doesn’t wait for you to become fearless, love enters into your fear to release you from it…to save you in it.
Perfect love drives out all fear. Love is why Saving Susan exists. Love is why you and I exist. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to be afraid of love. There has only ever been One perfect love. You and I are invited to live into this love, and then to begin to live it out. He loves first, so orphans don’t have to live in fear, so parents don’t have to live in fear. So I don’t have to live in fear. Neither does Susan or Lisa. Neither do you.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Dr. Craig Bowler
Lead Pastor, Sanctuary Church
