Love Is God

                                                                “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:8 (NIV)

Each February most everyone’s thoughts drift toward love. More important, peoples’ thoughts turn into loving words and actions. Hearts, Cupids, and sweets for our sweethearts fill store aisles, waiting to be delivered to that special someone. My husband and I celebrate Valentine’s Day each year with the traditional exchange of romantic cards followed by a visit to our favorite restaurant.

Even if our love interests are not focused in romantic directions, we still seize this day to remember those we hold dear. I send tender as well as humorous cards to family members and friends near and far. I enjoy the time I spend picking out just the right sentiment for each recipient, often adding my own message and perhaps tucking a small gift inside. And just as when I was in elementary school and we exchanged Valentines, I, too, look forward to the cards I receive. I leave them displayed on the mantle and enjoy them well into March.

While not touted as a Christian “holiday,” I feel Valentine’s is a day that promotes the concept on which Christianity is based: Love. The entire reason Christianity was born was because of God’s love for mankind:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that

whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 was the first Bible verse I memorized in Sunday school. “Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World” and “Jesus Loves Me” were the first songs I learned. We passed around a little basket where we placed our Love Offering. The first lesson I learned at both home and church was “Love your neighbor.” You simply cannot separate Christianity from Love.

It’s fun to give and receive tokens of love, but sometimes loving others is not so warm and fuzzy. This is where our Christianity is most tested. The Bible tells us to love our enemies. It tells us to forgive those who “trespass against us,” and forgive them countless times. We are told to turn the other cheek. In these instances showing love is difficult, often making us feel guilty and heavy-hearted because of our anger and resentment.

I recently read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, the story of Louis Zamperini. Zamperini is a World War II veteran whose airplane crashed into the Pacific. He was lost at sea for forty-seven days, only to be rescued by the Japanese Navy and placed in a prison camp and tortured until his release at the end of the war. After returning stateside and suffering intense emotional and physical duress from the ordeal, Zamperini found Jesus Christ in a tent where Billy Graham was speaking. Zamperini went on to accomplish many wonderful things in his life. To me, the most impressive was his return to Japan to give his testimony and forgive his tormentors. Louis Zamperini’s life shows Christianity at its best.

Valentine’s Day is a time set aside to honor Love, but we need not put our love away until February 14th rolls around again. We can express our love in ways that do not require giving a card or spending any money. We can behave and speak in loving ways. We can act as Christians are supposed to act at all times.

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in

him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God

has for us. God is love.”

1 John 4:15-16 (NIV)

The End