15th Day of Lent
A Harsh and Dreadful Love
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "...come, follow me." Mark 10:21

Tough love is a concept many of us are familiar with.  You love a person so much that you can't continue to support actions that are harmful to themselves or others.  You have to "tell it like it is" in hope that the person will see their self-destructive behavior and get help to make the needed changes.  Tough love, well, is tough.  But there are times when it is what is necessary.  Love demands it.

Jesus loved the rich man who did all the right things on the outside.  He came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus, because he loved him, had to get tough with him.  He had to make the man look deep within his own heart.  Jesus knew that if the man was unwilling to part with his many possessions and share with those in need, he could not be his disciple.  He was following another god, his own wealth.  Until he turned from that god, he could not follow the Lord God.  Lent is a good time to look deep within our own hearts.  It is a time to think about what is really important to us and if, whatever that is, is getting in the way of our relationship with God.  If so, confess that to God, take action to change what needs changing, and return to the Lord your God.