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hirty-six inches wide, seventy-two inches high, twenty-four inches
deep! The area hadn't changed any in the
last two weeks. Jason had measured it
from every angle with every possible device known and the dimensions were still
36W X 72H X 24D.
His wife, Nikki, had often
remarked how she would love to have a beautiful oak armoire in that spot; but
she knew it was impossible. Coming up
with enough money just to make the mortgage payment each month was a small
miracle. Since Jason had lost his job,
money was tight, as tight as it had ever been and the wants of life had given
way to its bare necessities.
Nevertheless, Jason knew how much Nikki wanted that armoire. From
the day they bought their small, modest home, she had dreamed of such a piece
of furniture. She used to talk about it
for hours and hours. She would describe
the texture of the wood, the color of the stain, the number of drawers and
cabinets, and the exact contents of each.
Jason loved to listen to her talk about the armoire and he determined
that one day she would have it.
Little did he know that his company would file for bankruptcy,
leaving him with no employment and a very small severance package on which to
survive. But Jason didn't lose
faith. He knew he would find a job and
when he did he would buy Nikki that armoire.
In the meantime, however, he began a hobby. His father had been a woodworker and Jason
inherited his dad's tools when he died.
He remembered how his dad would work ever so patiently with him,
teaching him how to locate a wood's grain and how to work with it until it
yielded what he wanted.
It was during one of his
woodworking sessions that Jason decided to build the armoire for Nikki as a
gift for their rapidly approaching wedding anniversary. He worked feverishly during the day while she
was at work and he revisited the workshop late at night to hide the armoire
underneath old drop cloths he kept in the basement.
Finally, the day had come to place the armoire in the
bedroom. Jason was concerned about the
dimensions of the armoire. Although he
had measured the area several times, the armoire didn't seem to be the correct
size. However, there was only one way to
find out. Today was their anniversary
and Nikki would be home in a few hours.
He had to work fast. With the
help of a few friends, Jason brought the armoire out of the workshop, moved it
gingerly through the house, and installed it in the bedroom. It was a perfect fit!!!
When Nikki arrived home after a long day at work, Jason asked her
to get him something from the bedroom.
Reluctantly, she agreed, shuffling down the hallway, muttering something
about a happy anniversary.
Suddenly, a scream issued from the bedroom and Nikki ran back into
the living room to Jason. She couldn't
stop the tears of joy and all she could say to Jason was, "Now I know how
much you love me." Jason replied,
"Yes, my love is exactly 36W X 72H X 24D."
Jason's love for his wife, of course, had no physical
dimensions. It couldn't be measured or
contained in that armoire; it could only be represented by it. In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle
Paul had these words of encouragement for his fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ, "And may you have the power
to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and
how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you
will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of
life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians13:18-19).
Have you ever tried to fathom the dimensions of God's love for
you? Have you ever tried, really tried,
to understand just how much our heavenly Father loves us? Try as we may, there is simply no way for us
to comprehend God's love for us.
Much like Nikki, we look around for signs and indications of God's
love. We want to touch it, to see it, to
hold it, to grasp it so that we can know he loves us. But Paul reminds us that depth, width, length,
and height cannot be touched. They must
be experienced.
What are the exact dimensions of God's love for us? It is taller than Mt. Everest
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ore amazing, God's love is a perfect fit for the human
heart. Before time began he was measuring,
preparing, and creating the plan of salvation just to show us how much he loves
us. The exact dimensions of God's love
are represented by the cross of Jesus. Wont' you open your heart and accept his
love today? I think you will find it a perfect fit!
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