Love…Isn’t Love, Until It’s Given Away

What is love?

Is it always beautiful? As beautiful as the sunshine?

We went for a walk this afternoon. Just me and dear hubby. It was a gorgeous, sunshine-filled day, the temperature just right. It was, absolutely, breathtakingly, beautiful.

Days of rain and clouds had left me feeling deplete of something, was it love? Or sunshine?

As I breathed in the crisp air and felt the soft breeze on my cheeks, I thought of love.

I dreamed of love.

I wanted to talk about love, how beautiful love really is. So like a beautiful day in fall, with nothing to mar its lovely features, not meant to make us feel unlovely, or unwanted, but rather loved, and treasured. And so fulfilled.

Why do we feel so unloved, so unwanted, so unneeded, so much of the time?

Love is so beautiful, yet rarely used. We leave it sitting in the cupboard, scared to open the door, lest it jump out and catch us unawares.

We pretend there isn’t much of it left, the majority of it used up by the millions of people who’ve passed through on their way to eternity.

We are scared of love. Scared to let people know we love them. 

Love is nothing to be afraid of. And yet many are afraid to love. Our hearts desire love, we crave love, and wait for love.

But love isn’t love, until it’s given away.

Yes, love is beautiful, especially so when surrounded by clouds and storms. When envy and jealousy are rampant, and love shows up, it’s like seeing  sunshine after 7 rainy days in a row.

Love is like a breath of fresh air, a cool breeze on a warm, summer day, when surrounded by greediness and selfishness. Love isn’t always easy, when faced with hatred and injustice, but love never fails. 

It never gives up.

Love isn’t love, until it’s given away.

God loved, so to show it, He gave. The best He had to give. 

Himself.

Have we given ourselves or do we keep part of us in the cupboard? Saving up for a sunny day, eh?

Love is beautiful, but much more so, when it’s given away.

Generously. Filled to the brim and splashing over.

My children sometimes say, “But Mom, you don’t understand. It’s not easy to love when people take advantage of you.”

You’re right, son. Neither was it easy to hang on the cross naked in front of all those people.

Do we understand love?

Is love these fluttery, warm, butterflies in my chest, or does it mean swallowing the lump in my throat and saying something nice to someone in return, who just got done making an unkind remark?

Is love always feeling sweet to everyone, or is it taking the hurts and wounds caused by others, and giving them to Jesus, who takes them and bandages our wounds with LOVE?

Just because I have love, does it mean every day will be a sunny day?

A gorgeous, breathtakingly, beautiful day?

Love isn’t love, until it’s given away. 

Even on cloudy, dreary days when we are discouraged and depressed.

And when love appears on our doorstep, and keeps knocking on our door, by all means let it come in.

But don’t sit there waiting for it to come. 

Start giving love. A little here, and a little there.

A lot here, and a lot there. 

God is love, and His love is meant to be shared.

With everyone.

And, yes, love is beautiful. As the sunshine.

Always.

Renita