A real story of love!

By Carolyn Kreger
RR Ministerial

Happy Valentine’s Day!
On Saturday we will be reminded to give or send cards, flowers, candy or other sweet ideas to those special people in our lives who we love. It is a day to recognize, honour or pay tribute to someone we cherish, be it family or friends. These gestures of love and friendship not only brighten the day for the person receiving the acknowledgement but also for the one who give. It’s a win/win situation.
Having recently attended a performance of BEATLES LOVE cirque du soliel, I was reminded by one of the choreographed songs that “All you need is love... LOVE! That is all you need!” Unfortunately this song was written in the era when we were taught to focus on ‘self’ One was to do what pleased self and thus feel the wonderful energy of love. We soon learn that love focused on self is empty and lacks fulfilment. To experience love is to enjoy a personal relationship with someone and in doing so we learn to appreciate and respect the other person many different ways.
Love has been a loosely used word over the years. We love our friends, our neighbours, ourselves, our family, our pets, a movie, our cell phone, the weather, our clothes, spaghetti and meatballs. We seem to express strong feelings of attachment to many things, some which have no relevance to the goodness in life.
Whenever we begin to struggle to understand what love is really all about, let us turn our attention to the one and only example of PURE LOVE - that of Jesus Christ.
Jesus expressed his love for all of us when he fed the 5,000; when he showed compassion for Mary and Martha at the time of Lazarus’ death; when he healed the lepers; raised the dead; calmed the storm; forgave those who harmed him; blessed the sinner and taught and commissioned his disciples.
Let us not forget who loves us beyond human comprehension. John (3:16) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV) That love is here for each and everyone of us today. God comes to us. He is ready at every moment of our lives to have a personal relationship with us so that we may receive from him, love, joy, hope and the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Now that a story of LOVE!