Daily Delight

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” –1 John 4:12 (ESV)

Recently, I decided to research tree grafting. I had stumbled upon the word "graft" in my quiet time and wanted to know more about what it meant. While there is a great deal of science and methodology behind grafting, the basic gist of it is this: You cut a branch from a tree, then make a diagonal cut, exposing the core of the branch. You then make a slit in the trunk of the tree to graft the branch in two, creating space between the bark and the inner layer. The exposed portion of the branch is placed into the slit in the trunk. The final step is to bind the two together with plastic and adhesive, which allows the two to become one.

Grafting is a two-fold picture, an illustration of what Christ did for us and what we are called to do for others. Jesus dying on the cross for us is similar to making a slit between the bark and inner layer of a tree. The bark protects the tree, and without it, the tree will die. Jesus risked death so that we might be grafted into God’s family. He did this because He loves us.

God calls us to do the same for others. He commands us to be vulnerable and to love one another. 1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (ESV). God is asking us to lay down our biases, prejudices, and preferences. He is calling us to step out of our comfort zones and love one another. Much like the diagonal cut in the branch that exposes its core, God challenges us to love one another with reckless abandon, exposing the innermost parts of ourselves.

This is not easy! In fact, it is downright terrifying at times. Yet, it is this kind of love that makes an invisible God visible to this world.

About the Author

Kira Echeandia

Kira is a recent transplant to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area who is passionate about Jesus, social justice, and baked goods. She loves to travel and can be found in Belgium consuming copious amounts of chocolate about once a year. Her dream is to start a business that incorporates both intentional community and sustainable consumerism but is still praying about what this could look like. Kira is both thrilled and honored to write for Daughter of Delight in this season and looks forward to seeing where her passion for writing will take her.