Choosing Love

Jesus loved greatly and showed His love in many ways; Christians know this from earliest days, with many examples readily available in memory.

How do us humans love?

When a couple I know very well got married, his wife gave up a blossoming career in teaching, sold her house and moved far across the country to be with him.  It was a long time before she found employment again.

Decades later, when they were both retired and living in a comfortable country house with some toys and lots of land to play in, she got sick with a debilitating disease that was never going to get better.  She had often visited her childhood home and treasured the family and friends living there.  Her husband decided it was time to move back where she could live more comfortably among loved ones.  And they did.  Sold almost everything: house, land, toys, even his cherished tractor, and moved.  There she had family and many old friends to enjoy, the illness even receded a bit.  It took him a long while to adjust though, finding project after project just to keep busy.  Sacrificial love is a love that we often do for each other.

After I brought my son back from the ghetto it took many months for him to get past some really bad memories.  He often did “diamond art” pictures to relax.  When I awoke one morning there was a completed art picture beside me.  It was perfectly done with a yellow sticky note telling me to check the back.  When I did and deciphered his printing, I was choked up for the first time on a long while.  A simple message of many shaky run-together words thanked me for coming for him and said how sorry he was to screw up so much.  He has a mental illness, but can use words very well when he’s focused.  That picture is one of my most precious possessions.  Gratefulness is love.

A famous pastor once said that love isn’t about just words or feelings, although those may be part of it.  Love is a choice.

In many forms or situations of love we probably shouldn’t express it in words, and feelings would be totally inappropriate.  But we can show it, we can always do good for one-another.  Choosing to love is love.

Think of all those volunteer coaches helping youth and young adults learn to play a sport.  Many hours freely given.  But those coaches do get paid and paid well, every time one of their players finally learns how, or excels in their chosen sport, the coach is paid with joy and happiness.  The love of caring service by helping others succeed.

Consider all the ways our compassionate pastors serve people, church member or not, without expectations.  They’re reflecting Jesus’ unconditional love to others.

For those who choose it, God has provided His children with endless ways to show love.

Be vigilant though, we have an enemy.  Satan will destroy love with lies, accusations and mis-direction whenever he’s allowed to, causing dissent, bickering, arguing, hatred and fighting.  If relationship problems arise or you just can’t find love in your heart, please seek Jesus and pray to discern what’s really happening.  Peter’s words in First Peter 5:8-9 will help.

Humans do love very well when we remember to and often when we don’t.  If inspiration is needed it can be found throughout the Bible – in God’s and Jesus’s demonstrated love, the two great commandments and the Holy Spirit’s work.  First Corinthians 13 and the Song of Solomon are excellent examples.

God bless and love on.