I John 4:12 tells us that no one has seen God. The indescribable glory of seeing the essence of His being would devastatingly overwhelm us. Though it is true that I may never have visualized Him as a material substance, Saturday I saw God. It was an amazing experience.
Saturday was the day my running group, the 901 sole sisters, ran for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital to raise money to help kids with cancer. It’s an emotional race because many of us know someone who has lost a child to cancer. Emotions were also fragile because it was a momentous accomplishment for six of our runners who ran their first full marathon– Heather Volner, Patricia Prather, Michelle Bledsoe, Catherine McGraw-Smith, Cat Tankersley, and Ashley Snow. Three in the group ran the half-marathon- Judy Reynolds, Jayne Lando, and Stephen Henry (we have a few random dudes in our sole sister group). It was an emotional day for Ashley for an additional reason: Saturday was the anniversary of her sister’s death. My next post will share some details about Ashley’s incredible story.
What I saw that day was the reflection of God as He was perfecting His own image in us. For if you continue reading, the second half of I John 4:12 states, “But if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” It is God’s nature to love. The provision He made for our sin through Jesus stems from his lovingkindness, perfectly combining the fact that his nature is to be both loving and just. We need only to look to the cross to see the depths of that love. Astonishing love. If we were to search the universe for a visible representation of that astonishing love, John tells us that this love is gloriously displayed in the relationships between believers as we love one another. When God dwells in us, His Spirit causes love to reign in our hearts. As the work of God’s spirit in our hearts grows closer to completion, His love becomes more and more evident in our lives.
That love was so evident on Saturday. It was in running for a cause to help kids and families. It was in sharing supplies like Gu chews, water, sunblock, and pickle juice. It was in sharing experiences during brutal training– like running in the dark, heat, cold, fog, rain, wind, and hills. It was sharing the experiences of muscle cramps, blisters, chafing, and getting up at ridiculous hours of the morning to run before work. It was in sharing encouragement when a member of the group was struggling and fighting insecurities. It was in sharing tears at the finish line, celebrating the victorious realization of a shared goal that had been so very difficult to achieve. It was in sharing preparations by those who couldn’t participate (due to injuries or conflicts with training schedules), being there before the sun came up to cheer and organize an after-party. Love that will suffer the unthinkable at the cross. Love that will get up at 2:50 a.m. for a friend. They are mysteriously and splendidly intertwined through the roots of grace.
No one has ever seen God, but Jesus has made him known (John 1:18). We love because He first loved us (I John 4:19).
