After reading some especially hateful posts on social media, the words of an old song came to my mind. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love; no not just for some, but for everyone.” That song came out in 1965, the year I left the Air Force to return to civilian life; but it has never been more appropriate than it is today.
John 3:16 describes the depth of God’s love for us. It is a love that is beyond our human understanding. The entire gospel of John is a tribute to Jesus’ love; which John experienced firsthand. It is the Apostle Paul who gives us a definition of love we are capable of understanding and practicing; it is a way of life and not a temporary emotion. I have referenced that scripture before comparing it to the love Carol and I shared as husband and wife, but it applies equally to any and all relationships.
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!…Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8 & 13)
We entered this world with only our body, mind and soul. When we leave this world, we will be traveling even lighter without our used body and we can’t take any earthly possessions when we depart. There are three things we can take with us when we leave this world; faith, hope and love. We can’t take them with us if we haven’t learned to possess them here on earth by making them part of our life. As you pack them for your final journey, don’t forget the most important one is love!