I had discovered a treasure map tucked away in something which had been near me all my life. Handwriting next to printed words led to the realization, “something’s here… if I can see it.”
In January 2017, my Mom Christine “Chris” DeChaine entered into the presence of God. Her body faded as the cancer had metastasized from her colon to the lungs. As I knelt beside her, I witnessed her body take one last breath before a black substance would erupt from her mouth. Graphic, I know, but it’s a video clip in my brain I live with daily where I can hit play at anytime. Continuing on this in a second...
My mother left behind a legacy of love. Anyone who knew her would see love radiating from her eyes and actions consistently. She wasn’t always like this though. Growing up, her friends and family knew her as “Chris the Bit$@” from how she was someone you didn’t want to cross. There was fire in her anger. She would stand up against injustice with her fists first and clean the bloody clothes later.
How could such a person not only learn to love but discover it in the first place?
After helping the crematorium service transport my mother’s body to the hearse outside the house, I walked back inside both at peace and in grief. As I continued down the hallway to the room my mom had been in, I came across two items I had not cared to notice before: a sticky note on the wall and her Bible which I grabbed quickly. As I opened it, it was as if the book was creased on 1st Corinthians 13; otherwise known as the Love chapter.
Every treasure map has an author. Here I was staring at a page where I could see the map within the map. Like a movie, I envisioned my Mom frantically coming to the conclusion “Love is the key” while writing it at the top of the scripture page. She would then write out all things regarding love on the page, connecting every thought-dot possible.
“Love is shed abroad in us.”
“Perfect love casts out fear.”
“Commandments are all fulfilled through love.”
“If you keep my commandments (John 15)”
“Must trust in the love of the Father and Son in order to walk in fullness of life”
“Love never comes to completion — it just continues to grow.” (My personal favorite)
“Love gives of itself, cannot help but to give — it is its nature.”
“God is love.”
“Love = fruit of the spirit — Gal 5:22-26.”
The treasure map was there and love was the key to unlocking its everything. Stories started making more sense in God's Word. An overarching theme of love was shown abroad from Genesis to Revelation. Hope was steady. Faith was growing. Love was being perfected before my eyes through scripture.
Fast forward to early 2023. Here I was studying the Bible with preaching and teaching in mind for others to know Jesus more. I was heavily fixated on Jesus which was amazing. In a moment of revelation, I realized I had forgotten to focus on another crucial relationship: the one with God, my Father.
My conversations with God through prayer completely changed. Instead of asking for more of x,y, or z, I implored him to show me sides of him I didn’t know or understood. I simply wanted to know God for God. My Bible reading perspective shifted from learning for others to searching for God, for myself. I emphatically arrived at "God is Love."
The quickest prayers I have had answered were the ones I asked of God for God. Knowing my Father as a Father became paramount to my existence.
When I started seeing his love, the treasure map was rediscovered again. The map took me on the adventure I had once forgotten about, and the answer was glaringly obvious: “Love is the key.”
If you recall, I came across two items in her room: a sticky note and her Bible. On the sticky note, it read three sentences God told her:
“He calls me faithful for I am faithful.”
“He said: “My story is not over yet.””
“He said I have a legacy of love that shows even through my children & will go on as my legacy.”
A woman who grew up rough around all edges found the key to everything: Love. It was love that sent a savior into the world. It was love that purchased this traitors heart. It was love that pierced the hearts of the broken. It was and is love that has searched you and I out from the beginning of time. Unconditional love.
So, here I am sharing the map within the map to you. “Love is the key. Move in & by compassion.” Here's a clue to get you ahead: a relationship with Jesus leads to the love you're looking for. Start there...
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” –1 Corinthians 13:13
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