Joy to the World

Imagine the worst thing someone has ever done to you — the moment that cut so deeply it left an indelible scar on your spirit. Now imagine that scar completely erased. No ache. No debt. Only wholeness restored. That is what forgiveness feels like. And that is the gift humanity was given when God loved us so much that He gave His only Son. What was owed to Him, He wiped away. What was broken, He made new. Through Christ, God opened the door for us to become His children and to know true life with Him.

This is the heart of the Father's love. It is patient love — love that waits. In the story Jesus tells in Luke 15:11–32, the prodigal son wanders far from home, wasting what was given, forgetting who he is. Yet the father does not stop loving. He watches. He waits. And the moment the son "comes to himself" and turns homeward, the father runs to meet him. This is our God. When we recognize our need for Him, He does not stand back with crossed arms — He runs toward us with open arms.

Because God loves the world — all of it, every person, those who look like us and those who do not — He cares deeply about how we treat one another. In Mark 11:22–25, Jesus ties faith-filled prayer to a forgiving heart, reminding us that unforgiveness weighs down the soul. He teaches Peter in Matthew 18:21–22 that forgiveness is not a one-time act, but a continual posture of the heart — not because it is deserved, but because we ourselves live by mercy. God forgave us, and He continues to forgive us, again and again.

There is no greater joy than feeling the weight of offense lifted — than letting forgiveness and love flow freely through the heart. This is the true joy to the world: to experience a heart made pure by the Creator's love. This joy is embodied in Christ, in a sacrifice so great that it forever bridged the gap between God and humanity.

Oh, what joy to the world!

— Dr. Rushing