“A time to love…” (Ecclesiastes 3: 8)
Song writer Burt Bacharach and singer Dione Warwick were right: “What the world needs now is love sweet love. That’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” The signs of cynicism, the horrors of hatred, the poison of prejudice, the wreckage of revenge, the viciousness of violence seem to be everywhere all the time. Their presence, power and impact get more press and better coverage than the love which the world seems to lack.
We would like to believe and do believe that the world does not lack the necessary love, what it lacks is:
The acknowledgement of love. Why wait until Valentine’s Day? Why hold off until someone’s birthday? Why keep it a secret until some special holiday. That warm fuzzy feeling, that kindly affection, that genuine attraction, that deep connection is love. It’s there. It’s been there. Even if only to yourself, maybe, it is time to admit it and acknowledge it.
The expression of love. One reason why hatred has such a high profile is because the love that we do have often goes unexpressed. We think about it, but we say nothing about it. We share it, but we don’t show it. We assume it, but we don’t act on it. Clearly, there are a million ways to appropriately express love, pick one and don’t keep it to yourself!
The acceptance of love. Believe it or not, some people are hard to love because they refuse to accept love. Pride, anger, an unforgiving spirit, suspicion, fear and more can all stand in the way of a person being able to accept true love. Nevertheless, when we refuse to accept love, we also deny ourselves the blessings that love brings, as well as, the blessings that offering love provides to those who give it.
The response to love. Love acknowledged, love expressed and even love accepted is not complete until it is responded to. Love is not meant to be one way. Even if it is not mutual and reciprocated, love at least deserves a response. Jesus loved the rich young ruler who asked about eternal life. The young man rejected the Lord’s offer, but at least he gave Jesus a response. You have probably already heard: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” What’s your response?