Greater love.

Once, there was a little girl named Rachel. She was brought up in a virtuous Christian home, around a righteous father and a loving mother. Every night, Mother would read a Bible story to her and with each moral of each story, Rachel remembered it with all her heart. Soon, Mother reached the New Testament and the first bedtime story from the New Testament was about Jesus. As Rachel listened attentively to the persecutiong Jesus faced, she couldn't understand how He was willing to bear all suffering in silence. Mother said it was called love.

That night, Rachel fell asleep puzzled; but she decided that since Jesus showed love, she should too. So she decided to show love to someone who persecuted her.

She decided to love the school bully.

Every morning, Mike would make sure that Rachel would either find chewing gum on her seat, or her lunchbox missing. He would even taunt her in front of the class, calling her a 'pious nerd', and yet stealing her homework so that he could copy her answers at the same time. His actions made her cringe, but she remembered her promise to Jesus:

"Lord, I want to love my persecutors like you did..."

Then, one day, Rachel didn't find chewing gum stuck to her seat. Instead, she found a note of apology written by Mike. Overjoyed, she smiled as she took a closer look at the note - mike had finally changed his ways! Her effort to love him was not wasted, she thought. Mike had a gift of apology for her; he was at the school gym. Placing the note in her pocket after folding it meticulously, she hurried to the gym.

Rachel opened the door and peered in; it was all dark. She called out his name - once, twice; but only silence responded. She took a deep breath and entered the room. Nothing prepared her for what happened next.

She rubbed her eyes again and again. The lights were on, and she could barely see Mike and his friends in front of her. They were laughing at her. At this point, she realised she was drenched in a sticky mixture of flour and water. Surprise, however, did not give way to fury; instead disappointment welled up from inside of her, tugging mercilessly at her heart.

Rachel sat in silence as Mother drove her back home. Mother knew what had happened; and she was outraged, deliberating out loud on how she would follow her to school the next day and give Mike a good spanking. Mother was ranting angrily away, but to Rachel, none of it made any sense.

"But mum, you shouldn't punish Mike! I want to love him like Jesus does!"

Mother could not believe what she just heard. She stopped short - she was lost for words. For awhile, Mother couldn't understand why Rachel was so protective over Mike even after all that he did to her. Yet, in her one innocent statement, Mother also realised something else. Jesus loved the guards who nailed him to the cross; Jesus loved those who mocked him with the crown of thorns; Jesus loved all of them even after all they did to him.

Jesus showed love to everyone, and today, He had shown her what love is through her daughter.

Mother and daughter were silent for the rest of the journey. Mother was hiding her tears of gratitude for the incomprehendable love that her Father up above has shown; while Rachel? She was smiling again, because Jesus just whispered to her that if He did not give up on Mike, she shouldn't too.

"Lord, I will love my persecutors like you did..."

~

Maybe it takes a child to realise the Greater Love.