I John 4:19- “We love Him because He first loved us.”
I watch as a gray-haired lady and an adorable Yorkie enter a patient room in a nursing home in the east valley. Although the lady they visit has been mostly unresponsive for several days, she slowly lowers her hand to pet the dog.
Many organizations, such as Hospice, have programs in which volunteers and their pets visit with patients in palliative care units, hospital rooms, nursing homes, day care centers, schools for handicapped children—even substance abuse facilities.
(Just an aside: I recently learned that it’s not always canines that are used for this purpose. Sometimes horses, pot-bellied pigs, and even turtles accompany their owners on such outings…)
So, what is so special about animals? How are they able to reach, comfort, energize and inspire certain people when no human being can do so?
One factor, I believe, is that they offer unconditional love and acceptance.
It doesn’t matter to them if the person is wearing nice clothes, has a trendy haircut or glasses, how much they weigh, or whether or not they are in a wheelchair or confined to a bed. Race, color, education, social status, religious or political affiliations—none of these matter to these animals.
In the world of human beings, then, I must conclude that people are likely to respond in a more positive way to those who love them unconditionally. People who are not judgmental. Those who extend forgiveness and grace.
Jesus showed these qualities as he walked this earth…and He still offers the gift of forgiveness, today. We are drawn to Him. He is able to reach us—touch us—in a way that no one else can.
He knows us—even our dark side—and loves us, still.
This is the kind of love to which we respond.
The is the kind of love that has the power to change hearts and lives.
The is the kind of love that meets us where we are, fully aware of our faults, and invites us to walk with Him for the rest of life’s journey—and beyond.
This is the power of unconditional love.
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