Surprised by love

A friend shared this experience: He and his wife had attended a concert in our local townhall and had parked their car in a nearby parking lot. Upon returning late at night they found the parking lot closed and accessible only with a keycard and a certain code which they had received but couldn’t quite figure out how to use. They tried several tricks, but no success. It was dark, and at that point they were the only people in this huge building complex. But not quite: In the corner of the eye our friend perceived a homeless man sleeping on a bench outside the parking lot. Our friend is someone who "lives for all mankind“ (as Mary Baker Eddy writes), and upon seeing this fellow he was spontaneously overwhelmed with a pure sense of love for this man - feeling this warm, direct, infinite Love shedding itself abundantly on all of us, being only reflected in the circle of brotherly love. He felt God's love for this man. There was a very concrete sense of mercy and compassion - and parallel the unsolved question how to solve the code mystery. As if the predicament with the missing code and the love for the homeless person were two separate arenas.

The couple continued to search for a solution, went back to the townhall receiving second instructions - to find again that they just didn't work.

Then out of the blue this man woke up, got up, came over and said: „I can help you. I know how this works.“ He entered the given code in a certain way, the door opened granting them access to the elevator - and off they went.

Our friend shared how this little incident proved to him the mechanism of life, an insight into the law of Love. To feel this surge of love wasn’t planned as was the reception of help from such an unexpected side. It is Love, God, which is emitted  generously, which is reflected in us only to bless others and ourselves in return - in unexpected and glorious ways.

Listening to his story I remembered this hymn by Richard Trench. It describes how this story, Love's story, will continue to unfold, everywhere:


Make channels for the streams of Love,

Where they may broadly run;

And Love has overflowing streams,

To fill them every one.



But if at any time we cease

Such channels to provide,

The very founts of love for ust

Will then seem parched and dried.



For we must share, if we would keep

That blessing from above;

They cease to have who cease to give:

Such is the law of Love.