Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Hatred paralyses life; Love releases it. Hatred confuses life; Love harmonises it. Hatred darkens life; Love illumines it.”
Love it would be fair to say, “makes the world go around”. Love makes us flourish, gives meaning to our lives, and makes us healthier.
“The greatest science in the world, in heaven and on earth is love. And the most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved” (Mother Teresa)
Yet how often do our thoughts and attention get caught up in thinking about the opposite of Love – on negativity and the people who irritate us? Our minds and hearts can easily focus on the negative, annoying, and even strange behaviour of others. We can rapidly become filled with negativity and unlovely thoughts and emotions within a short time.
But what if we spent a moment every day thinking of someone to love? First thing in the morning, we asked ourselves and God the question, “Who can I show love and kindness to today? How effective that would be to focus our attention on love rather than impatience and dislike of those around us.
Mother Teresa also said, “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
God said His love in us never fails. That’s because His Love is so powerful. It frames the world and everything in it, and since we are made in God's image and likeness we are also made with an immense capacity to love if we open our hearts. (Genesis 1:27)
“If we have got the true love of God abroad in our hearts, we will show it in our lives. We will not have to go up and down the earth proclaiming it. We will show it in everything we say and do.” (Dwight Moody)
God says, “Love is patient; Love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, and keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Ask yourself today, “who can I love today?" Then go and do just that, and “don’t waste time bothering whether or not you “love” your neighbour, act as if you do. For love is not something you feel, it is something you do. " (C.S. Lewis)
Prayer: Lord, would you please fill my heart with your love today and then show me who and where I can love in action today. In Jesus name Amen