Love: The Living, Laughing Legacy

Oh love. 

Love love love love love. 

We hear that word all the time. 

Love. 

“I love cheeseburgers.”

“I love that color on you!”

“I love coffee.”

“I love you.”

“I love Jesus.”

But you see, when we look back at all those statements, it doesn’t exactly seem that they could all be talking about the same exact action. Love. 

I’m not saying that you can’t love coffee.

But what I am saying is that the word “love” in today’s culture is so often used that it sometimes loses its meaning. 

It is often used even though it is not meant. 

Sometimes people have a hard time believing that someone could love them. Why?

Because maybe the person that said, “I love you,” ended up leaving you. 

I’m not saying that when someone says, “I love you,” that they never mean it. Because many do.  

This is a quote I saw a while back. I’m not sure where, but I think it’s cute. 

“And in a weak moment, you realize that ‘I love you’ does not mean ‘I like you’, and in fact often means ‘I don’t like you right now, but I love you’…” -Jessie Nickson

When you say you love your cheeseburger, maybe in fact you do love your cheeseburger. Maybe you would do anything to save your cheeseburger. I don’t know your life! :P

But I do know that the word “love” should not be used lightly. 

Sure, the word “love” can often take a long time to say to someone, depending on who they are. But also, you don’t have to know someone to love them. 

You could see a stranger on the sidewalk, and do something for them that says “I love you,” and you wouldn't even have to say it! (If you did, they might be kinda freaked out…)

In fact, people often say “I love you” through their actions more than their words. 

Jesus has called us to love everyone. Yes, everyone. The criminal, the president, the person that hurt you. Sometimes, we think it is impossible. But it’s not. It’s just really really hard. 

Luke 6:35 

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Ephesians 4:2

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

1 John 4:8

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

I was listening to K-Love this morning, and this man was talking about how yesterday he had almost died in a plane crash. He talked about how when he woke up this morning, he felt this renewed purpose for himself and his life. And that purpose was to go out and love. He said 

“Let our lives be a spillage of love.”

Why?

“Because love is the living, laughing legacy.”

I love that!

Let our love be a legacy! The only thing we will really leave behind on this Earth is the love we gave to others. How amazing is that!

So let us love like the Father has loved us!  Let us love like it is the only thing we have to give! 

Let us love.