What’s Love Got to do with It

Love is an amazing, beautiful, wonderful, mysterious, adventurous thing. It instantly changes an atmosphere. It creates a safe space and a warmth. It births intimacy, both physically and emotionally. Love is empowering- when you know you are loved, you feel as if anything is possible. You feel strong and beautiful and at peace. Love means trust. I honestly don’t think you can have love and not have trust. When you love someone, you will go to the ends of the earth to make sure they are taken care of- that they have everything they need and that they are safe. When someone you love is happy, it makes you happy. When they are hurting, you hurt. When they are sad, you feel sad. When they are angry, part of you feels angry as well. There is such a special bond between people who love each other- be it family, friends, or lovers. Growing up, I loved love. I could sit and watch romantic movies or read romantic books till the cows came home. It was just so beautiful to me. I loved the feeling I got from seeing two people so in love that they would do anything for each other. I loved seeing real life love, too. I had and continue to have a beautiful example of love between my parents and grandparents. I loved seeing couples interact with one another. Seeing true friendships with a foundation of love made my heart happy. Watching a parent’s unwavering love for their child warmed my heart. As I’ve grown older and become married myself, I, too, have been able to experience the wonder that is love. It’s hard to think of a love greater than the love I have for my husband. But I know it’s out there. In fact, I get to experience it every day.

See, when I think of how much I love my family and my husband, and how much I am loved by them, I can’t help but think of how much more God loves me. The love between God and his children is the greatest love story of all. Even when we go back to the old testament, before grace replaced the law, we see His love for us. We see it in His creating Adam and Eve. Again in his warning to Noah, and the promise He made after the flood. Abraham experienced it with the birth of Isaac. Moses saw it time and time again, even in the wilderness. David saw the love of God at every turn in his life, from shepherding as a young boy to being king of Israel. Daniel saw it when he was delivered from the lion’s den, and Jonah from the belly of the whale. Then we move on to the New Testament, and right off the bat, God gives us the greatest show of His love this world will ever experience. He loved us so much that he sent His only Son to endure all of the sin that had ever been and will ever be, and to die on the cross for us. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we get to experience an abundant, grace filled, love filled, everlasting life! How crazy a love is that!? We not only get the amazing examples of love that the Bible gives us through the old testament and the new testament in Jesus, and Paul, and Silas, and Timothy, and John, and all of the miracles that Jesus performed, but we get to experience this love and greater on a daily basis. Every second of every day is filled with the extravagant, unending, unwavering, love of God.

Even more so, when we think of the effects of our love on other people’s lives or vice versa, how much greater, then, is the effect of God’s love in and through our lives? God’s love is what raises the dead to life. It heals the sick and broken. It brings joy and peace and strength and healing, and salvation. In His love we find hope, and vision, and restoration. When being examples of God’s love becomes our sole ambition, we become unstoppable. As a result, when we offer ourselves to be the vessels and conduits of God’s love on the earth, we possess the power to change atmospheres through the power of His love.

Why then, do we feel we have the right to disregard this love? We fear things and become anxious as if God isn’t in control. We become depressed as if we don’t have an unending supply of joy. We feel alone as if we don’t have the Holy Spirit that sticks closer than a brother. We act out in anger as if Jesus isn’t our peace. We mistreat others as if God hasn’t called us to love one another.  Worst of all, we become prideful and think we can do this thing by ourselves, when in reality, we desperately need the love, grace, joy, and peace of God. Can you imagine what we would accomplish as a church if we fully grasped the concept of God’s love for us? We would be able to set aside our selfishness and our prideful ambition, and fully chase after the things of God. I believe our generation is one encounter with God’s love away from a total and complete reckless abandon of our selfish ambition and prideful ways. We are one encounter away from an abandonment of our own wills and saying, “God, I don’t care what it looks like, or where you take me, or what I have to go through.” This is because we know that our God’s love is so vast and beautiful that it will carry us through even the darkest and lowest places. Our revelation of God’s love is so very crucial. It is the key to unleashing Heaven on earth. Our being yielded to God’s love is the key to His Kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Today I would encourage you to take a look at your life. Look at the people you come in contact with and influence. I don’t care if it’s for 5 minutes on the bus or train, or if it’s someone you live with. Analyze your interactions with them- have you really been showing the love of God? Trust me, I know this can be difficult, because life isn’t all cotton candy and gumdrops. People can be mean and nasty, and you don’t always want to show them the love. But ask yourself, what do you stand to lose by loving people? I can guarantee it’s nowhere near what you have to gain.

XOXO

ELK