‘For Better or for Worse’

‘...Having loved His own...He loved them to the end.’ John 13:1 NKJV

On a busy morning, a nurse in the crowded emergency room seated an elderly gentleman who had come to have stitches removed from his hand. He said, ‘I’m in a hurry, nurse. I have an appointment in an hour.’ As the line of patients ahead of him moved slowly he kept looking anxiously at his watch. Knowing he’d never make his appointment, the nurse led him to an examination room, checked his vital signs and evaluated the condition of his wound. Seeing it was well-healed, she consulted with one of the doctors and got clearance to remove his sutures and re-dress his wound. She asked, ‘Are you hurrying to another doctor’s appointment?’ He said, ‘No, I’m on my way to have breakfast with my wife at the nursing home.’ She asked about his wife’s health and learned she was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. ‘Will she be upset if you’re late?’ The old man told her she hadn’t recognised him in five years. Surprised, the nurse asked, ‘And you still go to see her every morning, although she doesn’t know who you are?’ The old man smiled, patted her hand and replied, ‘Oh, yes. She doesn’t know who I am, but I still know who she is!’ Loving ‘for better or for worse’ means being committed to each other in every season and circumstance of life. It’s how Christ loves us: ‘…Having loved His own…He loved them to the end.’ And it’s why He said, ‘A new command I give you… As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’ (John 13:34 NIV)