The Contortion of Love

Richard Selzer, surgeon and author, wrote  this touching story about how true love works. He stood in the post op room where a young man waited beside the bed of his wife. The doctor had removed a cancerous tumor from her face. In doing this he had to cut a crucial nerve that had left her face distorted. One side of her face drooped, and her mouth was twisted. She asked her surgeon, “Will my face always be like this?” He replied, “I’m afraid so.” She nodded and turned her face slightly away from her husband. In the dim lamp light of the room her dear husband leaned down, took his hand, and turned her face toward his. “I kind of like it. I think it's cute.” Then he leans forward a little more to kiss her twisted lips. He twists his own mouth to accommodate hers showing her that their kiss still works.

1 John 4:10-11 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Some people are very hard to love, impossible to love, yet, God loves them still. God's love is a mystery that the multitudes can't seem to understand. But all  we need to know is that Jesus gave his all, loving us all no mater who we are or what we've done. His love was demonstrated  on the cross. We see Him there twisting his mouth to accommodate man's real need so that His kiss works perfectly. Unlike the surgeon Jesus takes away the cancer of sin that has distorted our souls. No one understands that, but by faith God's love accomplishes its purpose. God's kiss always works.