One of the streets I use often is known as Locke Street in Hamilton, Ontario. There is a small bridge for pedestrains and vehicles, while the train passes underneath the bridge. They are a lot of padlocks that have been hooked on the bridge. These have initials and date written on them and some have even rusted beyond recognition. I saw a similar thing in Warsaw, Poland in 2018. However, this time the locks were attached to a scenic bridge on Dung hill (oh yes, it was a place for dung!). A similar and even bigger one of such lock bridges was in Paris, France until the city got tired of it and removed padlocks weighing about the same size as 20 elephants. What at all is with locking love on the bridge? Are all those people still together? Those who threw the keys in the sea, in a river, buried the key etc., did they still go for the keys to open the locks when they broke up? Certainly no! So, they could do without the padlocked love! Such a irony of life!
The teacher was right when he stated that: “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6). The major reason people tie their love to padlocks and other artefacts, is to be committed to one another. In fact, research has shown that the rate of divorce in the West has skyrocked. In the US for example, it was estimated in 2021 that 53% of marriages will end in divorce. Such a shame! All the pomp, the glam, the luxury and the plush side of big marriage ceremonies, the locking of hearts on bridges, the exchange of vows and the commitment to love one another “till death do us part” does not bind the marriage to the lifespan of the couple. The big thing is… people grow out of love. The family system is gradually breaking up and children from such broken homes if not taken care of and mentored properly to maintain their own homes, they end up continuing the circle of divorce. May God help us! So who can love us for everlasting till everlasting and never grow weary?
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
In Jeremiah 31:3, God told the Israelites, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Only God’s love is permanently permanent! His love is everlasting. In fact, He even loved us before the world begun and He loved before we were formed in our mothers wombs and He will continue to love us all through eternity and forever more. Oh, what a joy! John 3:16 is the most quoted scripture of all time and it is rightly so because “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This so great a love, forever unending and eternally binding can only be experienced by “’Whoever believes in the Son” they have “eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). It is important to note that: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). God loves you, God loves me, God loves the world but you can choose to choose His love or choose to reject His love. His love is everlasting and His kindness is unfailing. His love is RECKLESS!!!
RECKLESS LOVE “Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me You have been so, so good to me Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me You have been so so kind to me Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the 99 And I couldn’t earn it I don’t deserve it, still You give yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me You have been so, so good to me When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me You have been so, so kind to me Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the 99 And I couldn’t earn it I don’t deserve it, still You give yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God There’s no shadow You won’t light up Mountain You won’t climb up Coming after me There’s no wall You won’t kick down Lie You won’t tear down Coming after me There’s no shadow You won’t light up Mountain You won’t climb up Coming after me There’s no wall You won’t kick down Lie You won’t tear down Coming after me There’s no shadow You won’t light up Mountain You won’t climb up Coming after me There’s no wall You won’t kick down Lie You won’t tear down Coming after me Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the 99 I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God”
(Songwriters: Caleb Culver / Cory Hunter Asbury / Randy Matthew Jackson, Bethel Music Publishing, 2017)
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