Have you ever been separated from something? Maybe you have been that parent in the store with your kids. Everything is going well and while you are looking at something just for a second… poof the kid has disappeared. Where have they gone? Are they behind the clothing rack? Are they in the next aisle? Are they even still in the store? Have they been taken?
I worked at a grocery store in High School and in college I worked at the local Target for a while. If you have lost your kid or even multiple kids at the same time in the grocery store, you are not alone. Missing kid alerts in stores happen way more than you would think. When you are that parent missing that kid there is a flood of emotions and fears that instantly flood your mind until your child is found.
The parent isn’t the only one who feels the effects of separation. The missing kid does too. They might be thinking about where their parent could be? Where am I? Will I ever see them again? We don’t like separation.
One of my sons is obsessed with animals, more specifically wild life. One of the things he really likes to talk about is baby animals. He will tell you how important it is when baby animals are born to be with their mothers. The mothers provide shelter, comfort, and life giving food. When baby animals are separated from their mothers, it isn’t good. They struggle and ultimately can end up not making it in life.
Separation can be a scary thing. It can fill us with emotions, but more importantly it can separate us from things that give us life. The Bible, however, gives us some encouragement and something to hold onto during life. Romans 8:38-39 says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Here is the thing. Nothing will keep us from God’s love. Jesus came to earth by becoming man and ultimately died on the cross. Jesus making this sacrifice made it so that we wouldn’t be separated from God’s love. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. That’s a promise you can hold onto.
This week how can you share the promise of Romans 8:38-39 with someone in your life?
Mark Casella