There’s a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months but to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” On Saturday, eight hundred Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. [i]
What drew them to the hotel? It was the words, “All is forgiven.”
Notice that the father did not say, “All will be forgiven if you do this or that.”
Nor did he say, “All will be forgiven when you do such and such.”
He simply says, “All is forgiven.” There are no strings attached.
And that’s the hard part for most of us, to un-attach the strings. Wiktionary tells us that the origin of the expression “no strings attached” may go back to ancient times when documents were written on parchment that were rolled up and secured with a string. The Babylonian Talmud tells of a man who gives his wife a bill of divorce on such a parchment but holds onto the string so that he can snatch it back, should he choose to do so. The divorce, therefore, is not considered valid since he will not give it freely.[ii]
In the same way, love, forgiveness or friendship that is given with strings and conditions attached are not valid, since they can be taken back at any time.
The above story of Paco and his father is reminiscent of the story of the Prodigal Son, which Jesus told in Luke 15 whereby the father welcomes the son back with total forgiveness.[iii]
There is another story by an unknown author:
As she grew older her teenage daughter became increasingly rebellious. It culminated late one night when the police arrested her daughter for drunk driving. Mom had to go to the police station to pick her up.
They didn’t speak until the next afternoon.
Mom broke the tension by giving her a small gift- wrapped box. Her daughter nonchalantly opened it and found a little rock inside.
She rolled her eyes and said, “Cute, Mom, what’s this for?”
“Read the card,” Mom instructed.
Her daughter took the card out of the envelope and read it. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks. She got up and lovingly hugged her mom as the card fell to the floor.
On the card were these words:
“This rock is more than two hundred million years old. That is how long it will take before I give up on you.”
This mother is not saying, “I will love you if…” Instead, she says that she will love her daughter forever and nothing can change that. No strings attached.
That is how Jesus and others loved, Martin Luther King, Brother Lawrence, and many others. The Beatles sang, “All you Need is Love.” No strings attached.
We are accustomed to finding a catch in every promise, but stories that Jesus told are of extraordinary grace and love. There is no catch, no loophole that will disqualify us from the Love of the Eternal Source. This is Agape Love, the Amazing Grace that goes beyond all understanding. It feels like the discovery of a lifetime. There is a love like that and we all may feel it at any moment by allowing the Divine Grace, Love and Healing into our hearts. There is a Divine Flow of Love that is available to all. You don’t need to be saved or believe in some creed or religion, you only need to feel Agape Love in your heart.
Agape Love is God’s Love
- “I am only a pencil in the hand of God, but it is He who writes.” Mother Teresa
- “You are a paintbrush in the hands of the Artist.” Heidi Baker
- If Love is your gauge toward healing of heart, mind, and body, how are you getting on with that?
- Is anger, bitterness, unforgiveness or other pain blocking your ability to love?
- Do you love with strings attached?
- Do others love you only with strings attached?
- Will you begin today to heal whatever holds you back?
I send love from the Everlasting Flow of the Divine, Eternal Love to all. May your Valentine’s Day be one of peace, love and understanding. May your entire being vibrate with the Love of God. Lovingly always, RevJ
[i] Bits and Pieces, October 15, 1992(p.13)
[ii] no strings attached – Wiktionary
[iii] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015:11-32&version=ESV