It seems we live in an age of connections. We have internet. We have social media, blue tooth, cable television, and wi-fi. It’s about entertainment and communication. It’s about loving, learning, and earning. More recently, it’s about artificial intelligence to relieve us of the burden of thinking for ourselves.
One of the most important connections is the topic of love. We love our favorite ice cream flavor. We love our favorite restaurant or our favorite vacation spot. We love our favorite sports team. We love our children, our pets, and, of course, our spouse.
Somehow, along the way, we have drifted away from the greatest source of love and the importance of that love in our lives – and beyond. Love is such a critical element in humanity that it is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible.
You don’t need to be a Bible scholar to recognize the importance of love to the human condition. Nor do you need to be a scholar to recognize one of the most oft-quoted verses – John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Somehow, that single verse has become so familiar, that we have lost sight of the enormous power that it represents. On rare occasions, we are witness to that power, even on a human scale. We might see it when a school teacher shields a student with her body during an active shooter situation. We might see it when a man rushes into a burning building to save his spouse, or when someone braves a raging river to rescue a drowning victim.
We might understand the power of love if we just stand back from all the debates about religion and embrace the basic concepts that were the original Ten Commandments and the entire ministry of Jesus. Do not steal, do not covet, do not lie, do not kill. Love your neighbor. Forgive. Every one of the Ten Commandments and the examples of Jesus’ ministry can be defined as an expression of love.
Each of us longs for the blessings of our Creator. Each of us yearns for that love connection. Each of us wonders how we go about strengthening our connection with God.
Perhaps the answer is contained in Matthew 22:37. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
For most of us, that is a tall order. Exactly how are we supposed to do that in the course of our busy and complicated life?
Perhaps we make it more complicated than it needs to be. Perhaps all we need to do is live a life of appreciation – appreciation for all the blessings we take for granted every day. And, then express that appreciation by striving to live a life of giving and forgiving, and forging an unbreakable connection with a loving God.