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My winter vacation is coming to a bittersweet end. These past six weeks have been the most physically-draining, emotionally-taxing, yet spiritually-vibrant month-and-a-half of my life. After all the retreats and related preparation, it’s funny to think that a new semester will be a “lighter load” than what I’ve just experienced. But through the grace of God, I was able to spend the last couple days of my break with good food, great friends, and an amazing family.
I’m very close with much of my extended family on my mom’s side (my dad’s side is all in Korea, so I haven’t been able to see them in years). Amongst the seven of our cousins and two in-laws, we call ourselves “Operation Super Pew.” It’s our eldest cousin’s dream for all of us to attend the same church and occupy an entire pew to ourselves (which we’ve executed on a couple of occasions). Three weeks ago, we added an addition to the Operation. My cousin, Betty, and her husband, Kyung, gave birth to a beautiful daughter, and I had the privilege this past week to meet that little bundle of joy.
I guess you could call me a romantic. I enjoy chick flicks and Korean dramas, and am decently aware of all the cliches and “events” that couples do for each other. But even in my affinity for the cheesy and tacky, I never really believed in “love at first sight.” We’re familiar with the scene in movies where the male protagonist walks into a bar, and standing across the room is his female counterpart, whom he falls head-over-heels for at initial glance. Given my objective nature and accounting background, there are too many factors to consider and a number of intangibles that are being overlooked for LAFS to be possible. But then I met my niece, Evangeline… and all that went out the window.
For being only three weeks old, she was the most expressive and most innocent person I’ve ever met in my life. My Facebook photos don’t serve justice to how many of the beautiful faces she was capable of in the fleeting moments that I was able to hold her. My cousin told me she probably doesn’t even know what faces she’s making or which emotions are connected to certain expressions, but I like to think she does. Why? Looking at that picture (above), seeing her smile, and knowing she’s happy … there’s no other feeling quite like it.
Gospel Connection: As I held Evangeline for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel how much love I had for her. There was something within me that convicted me to pray for her the moment I was told that she was conceived. There is something within me that makes me miss her a great deal already. And there will always be something within me that will look out for her best interests. And yet, how much more did, does, and will God forever love us, His children! Before our conception, to this very day, and in the many years to come, God manifested His complete and genuine love for us in the Son, Jesus Christ. I like to call it the “cosmic love at first sight.”
As I held Evangeline, I couldn’t help but think, “I would give up everything for this child. I would die for this kid.” In that moment, I was able to catch a glimpse of the sacrifice that God made for His children. But just as quickly as that moment came, it was surpassed by the reality that any sacrifice that I could make for her had it’s limits. As I’m sure my cousins would share the same sentiment of unconditional love for their new daughter, whatever sacrifice they make for her would be conditional. If we as human beings chose to give up our lives for the sake of a loved one, at best, that would only temporarily alleviate discomfort or prolong that person’s life for a couple more years. But to fully understand the Gospel and the implications of the Cross, we must come to grips with exactly what was being lost, and what was being gained. The everlasting, all-loving, and all-powerful God of the universe decided to incarnate Himself in the person of Jesus, so that through His death, sinners like us could have life. So while my or my cousins’ decision to sacrifice everything for Evangeline samples that love, the complete expression of it is something we may never fully understand.
But the Gospel never stops there. In the picture of the Resurrection, we are given that new life. Jesus provides for us the answer in which we don’t have to make that sacrifice ever again. We are no longer ruled by the limitations of human will and the slavery of sin, but given eternal life under the blood of Christ. I praise the Lord for my sake, my family’s sake, certainly Evangeline’s sake, and hopefully for your’s, that this is the assurance that we can place our hopes in.