True love does leave traces

I once came across a reference to a Leonard Cohen song, True Love Leaves No Traces, and became curious as to its lyrics. I obtained a recording of the song and found it disappointing, which didn't surprise me since I am not a Cohen fan.

However the song got me thinking about the truth of its statement and I realized that Cohen got it only half right. He was referring to that rare kind of love between a man and a woman which needs no physical consummation and therefore leaves no traces in the beloved. But the deeper truth is that true love does indeed leave traces - in the lover.

These marks endure. They are not replaced by other loves, because each love that is truly love is tied uniquely to its beloved.

So it is for a mother who loses a baby. She may go on to have other children whom she loves deeply, but a piece of her heart will always and only belong to the child she lost. Her love for it will not be displaced by the others because those are different loves, also dear, also loved uniquely but none in any way a substitute for each other.

So it is also with God's love. Have you ever thought about how God loves you really, personally, uniquely? That Jesus' hands were pierced and He died specifically for you?

In the same way, God's grand plan is not just one of general benevolence, but He intends His kingdom to come in your life in a way which is unique and irreplaceable. It consists first and foremost in an intimate relationship with you through Jesus Christ which at the deepest level will not be shared with anyone else.

I caught a glimpse of this in Jesus' word to the church in Ephesus:

To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him... (Rev. 2:17)

God's whole purpose in your life begins in this relationship with Jesus when you receive Him, and unfolds from it like a flower. He wants to bring it about in its fulness - not just in eternity, but as much as you allow Him to here and now.

If you have put your faith in in Jesus Christ, please know that the whole sum of your spiritual growth is measured by how you grow in this communion with Him.

If you are not yet a believer, this is the inheritance which is waiting for you today. Please don't let it pass you by!


Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.
Isaiah 49:16