Can’t Help Lovin’.

Man seems to measure about everything they do in terms of success and failure. The gauge of success generally starts with establishing a desired outcome. If the objective is achieved, and the cost wasn’t too great, it might be considered a success. If the return was less than the investment, that would be called a failure. Pretty obvious stuff.

But what about love? How would you measure the success or failure of love? I know there are some who say, “I tried love, and it didn’t work”. They think love failed. If you think of love as something you do to bring about a certain result, then of course, you would see it as a failure if you didn’t get that result.

But now think about this: If Jesus loved you, but you didn’t love Him back, was His love a failure? If His love didn’t get some kind of positive response from you, was it wasted?

No way! Because love is not some commodity that God has in some huge storehouse in heaven, that He can give out when He feels like it, in order to gain something back. It’s not some kind of rechargeable energy pack that He has tucked away in His heart. God IS love! It’s His nature! Love is not an effort for Him. He doesn’t have to TRY to love! He CAN’T HELP loving! Even when He has to execute judgment, He can’t stop loving!

There is no limit to His love, because there is no limit to HIM! How can you waste something that has an infinite supply?

When we, as children of God, with His DNA… love others… not as something we do, or something we give… but as who we ARE… then the whole question of success or failure is blown away… totally irrelevant! Then we’re not loving to get something, or to achieve a desired result. We’re loving because we just can’t help it! It’s our born-of-God nature!

Yes, of COURSE you want to see results! Of COURSE you want your love to change the lives of those you love! Of COURSE you want to BE loved in return! Doesn’t God?

And, Yes, love IS something you DO! It’s not just a disengaged compassionate feeling. Love will MOVE you! …Like Jesus was MOVED with compassion!

But really now… If our Father IS love, is it too outrageous that we, His children, should be able to say, “I, too, am love. I got it from my Father. I was born (again) with love in my nature. Love is not an effort for me. I don’t have to work at it. I don’t TRY to love. I love because it’s who I am. I love, whether I see results, or not. I just can’t help it!”?