Love in Action

John 12:1-9 (3)

During Oliver Cromwell’s reign as Lord Protector of England, a young soldier was to be executed. His fiancé came to plead his case. Her efforts to spare the life this young man seemed to be futile. Oliver Cromwell turned a deaf ear to her requests and the execution plans continued as planned. The execution was to take place at the ringing of the curfew bell.
The scheduled time finally arrived. The sexton pulled on the rope to ring the bell. To his amazement the expected peel of the bell was not heard. It was discovered that the soldier’s fiancé had climbed into the belfry and clinging onto the clapper had prevented it from striking the bell when the rope was pulled. Battered, bruised and bleeding she was brought before Cromwell. As she confessed how she had expressed her love in this sacrificial manner, Cromwell commuted the sentence freeing the young man to join his devoted fiancé stating, ‘Go, your lover lives; ‘Curfew will not ring tonight.’ ”

True love goes the extra mile. True love turns the cheek. True love speaks well of another in a crowd of people raising their eyebrows in doubt. True love hangs on a cross and says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”

by Dr. Gayle Woods

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