A love letter.

Have you ever felt so unappreciated by someone that it makes you think less of yourself? Have you ever felt so confident in who you are that it doesn’t matter what another person thinks of you? Have you ever questioned your purpose so intensely that it makes you wonder if life has any meaning? Have you ever lost someone so dear to you it makes you wonder if love is real at all?

Jesus indicates at several times that the love of God, the love of ourselves, and the love of each other are all inseparable. In Luke 10, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in contrast to religious elite who love themselves and God, but have trouble extending the same to others.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This love trio is a package deal: God, ourselves, and others. The three components feed on each other, inform each other, grow together. What if feeling more confident in ourselves meant growing in faith in our neighbors and in God? What if getting rid of that shame that plagues us is tied to showing our friends that they’re perfect the way they are? What if we might feel less “ugly” by recognizing the beauty God made in the world around us? What if this whole time the puzzle of love had 3 pieces, not one or two?

1 Corinthians 13 is a popular passage where Paul goes in depth about what love is. Read his words below, and even if you’ve heard it 1000 times, let’s read it together with fresh eyes. 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

What parts come easily to you? What parts are more difficult? What parts can you do for others but not for yourself? What parts can you do for yourself but not for God? Do we perceive ourselves as being “loving” based off of this list? What about our friends and family? Are they “loving”? What about God? If we’re really honest, do we have an image of God that is actually “loving”? Is God a thing that fosters love or a place where our fears only grow?

Love is not always easy. It’s a high calling and many times it is a lot of work. We’re imperfect people and there’s nothing like practicing love to make our imperfections evident. In Neighbors, we hope to create fun spaces, build relationships, and serve our community. These are great things to care about. But there is one “greatest” thing. The one thing that all other things hangs on. The place where God meets us, we meet others, and they meet God too. Everything hangs on love.

Let’s practice love together. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!