God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9-10
It’s a cry that’s risen from mothers’ hearts around the world and throughout history: “God, save my son!”
Lyudmila is a mother in Ukraine who’s heartbroken over her adult son. She’s helplessly watched him make one painful decision after another. If you’ve ever lain awake worrying about your own child, you understand that helpless feeling. Lyudmila finally gave up on offering her son unasked for advice and did the only thing she could think of. “I visited every Orthodox church I could, looking for God,” she said. “I needed God’s help to save my son. I saw him heading in a bad direction. But I couldn’t find any answers.”
In the middle of one of those sleepless nights, Lyudmila switched on her radio. She believes God drew her to a Christian station where she heard a message about God and His Son. These words of the Bible book of 1 John sunk deep into Lyudmila’s hurting heart: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).
“I realized that I was the one who needed to be saved,” Lyudmila said. She put her faith in Jesus, asked for God’s forgiveness, and shares, “This is better than anything I could have ever expected. I believe He can save my son too!” When Lyudmila understood God’s sacrificial love for herself, she understood why she could trust her son to God.
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