English version follows after the illustration.

”Elsker du meg så høyt at jeg kan spise knekkebrød i sengen din?” min romvenninne  satt i sengen min. Det er mange år siden, men jeg tenker fortsatt på det spørsmålet. Det er selvsagt helt unødvendig å la noen søle smuler i sengen, og det er jo grenseløst irriterende med knekkebrødsmuler i sengetøyet.

Hvor høyt elsker jeg egentlig? Jeg tenker på det Paulus skriver:

’Selv for et rettskaffent menneske vil vel neppe noen gå i døden. Eller kanskje ville noen gjøre det for en som er god.’

I ulike faser i livet, i ulike relasjoner har jeg noen ganger erfart kjærligheten så sterk at jeg har gått veldig langt i min oppofrelse. Hvis min venn var syk og hadde trengt et indre organ, ville jeg kanskje gitt det. Så kan jeg alltids håpe at det var et organ jeg har to av. Heldigvis har det enda ikke vært nødvendig. Men det å oppgi sitt eget for en annens gode er noe som jeg stadig blir utfordret av.

Hvis man gir en nyre, så vil jo det på en måte gi nytt liv til den som får en frisk nyre. Og gir man hjertet sitt, ja da gir man avkall på sitt eget liv. Det spørs om jeg hadde gjort det.

Paulus fortsetter:
’Men Gud viser sin kjærlighet til oss ved at Kristus døde for oss mens vi ennå var syndere.’

Korset ga meg nytt liv. Knekkebrødsmuler er virkelig småtteri.

Foto: Magnar Børnes, www.magnarbornes.com

Crumbles

”Can I eat crackers in your bed? Do you love me that much?” my roommate was sitting on my bed. It is many years ago, but I still ponder upon that question. It is of course completely out of the question to let anybody spill crumbles from a cracker in your bed. It is extremely irritating to meet the crumbles in the sheets later on.

But how deep is my love? I am thinking of what Paul writes in the Bible:
‘Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.’

In some phases of my life I have had relations where I have thought I really could have given a lot for my friends. I could have walked the extra mile and then another one. And if my friend was sick I would have thought of donating an organ if needed. I would possibly have hoped that it was an organ that I had two of, but still. Fortunately it hasn’t been a need so far. But the question of giving my life for my friends are still challenging.

If you give away a kidney, you actually give new life to the person needing it. If you’re giving away your heart, then your life goes with it. I am not confident that I would have done that.

Paul goes on:
‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’

The cross of Christ gave me new life. Crumbles are really insignificant.