Love : Verb

2/14/2022

1 John 14:9 "We love because he first loved us."

Love is an action. It is true that we can tell someone we love them, or we can write it in some form. Some people have gone to great lengths to be very public with their declarations of love, from writing a message in the sand, to social media posts, to kiss cams at sporting games, and even skywriting. However, a verbal or written proclamation of love does not really prove anything. The true proof is in how you treat someone else.

My husband - although not a usually a note writing, flower sending kind of guy - shows his love for me by doing. No action is too big or too small for him to show me how much he cares. He holds nothing back from me. Many of the things he does are not even conscious acts; they are an automatic overflow of his love for me. He is also very affectionate, even after 36 years of marriage. Again, even an arm around the shoulder or a handhold are actions. I would not trade getting flowers, jewelry, or anything that can be bought for the the way he treats me. 

Of course, our model of how to love is Jesus. He loved others with such empathy and non-judgement. His words were not only loving but His actions were as well. He was all grace and humility in His love, and He loved without expecting anything in return. I wonder how many of us can truly say that? Jesus loves us, every human, so profoundly that He died for our sins. There has never been or ever will be a greater action in love than His sacrifice for us.