To First Be Loved As A Means To Love

In order for us to be able to give our love, we need first the capacity to receive love: God's love. The case for this rationale is easy to argue. A rudimentary understanding of grace is required to both give and receive love, which are fuelled by the caring motive.

Love is much more than an emotion; it is more often a decision.

1. TO BE LOVED

We need to have experienced care before we can know how to give care. Such an experience most often comes from people exemplifying grace as it is felt within our lives. God has cared for us through them. It has lured us in pure goodness.

Children brought up in abusive or neglectful environments feel something is missing; that their upbringing was wrong. They don't need to be told there was a lack. Their life suffered from a lack of care. Even in a vacuum they would have known it was wrong. And when they are first shown care, hope, meaning, and purpose begins at last to flourish.

Humanity has the capacity to love, because the love of God has been revealed in and through the Son. Such love, though it is expressed imperfectly everywhere, is everywhere to be seen. Because we are made in the image of a loving God, we have the innate desire to connect in caring. It is the purpose of our lives.

To be loved provides the motive to love.

2. TO LOVE

Having known love - the actual experience - there is no huge leap in desiring to reciprocate. There is an inkling that loving provides its own reward. And it does. To love provides instant spiritual feedback to our souls. We feel blessed.

But we cannot be so caring without having first experienced the grace of God's compassion, and to know, at first, the veritable resplendence in forgiveness. To ward against bitterness in the relational setting is the wisdom of love.

Having received love we have half our happiness. It's a transaction not yet fully satisfied. As soon as we have experienced love we have a strong yearning to reciprocate. Having learned quickly the power in such care we feel compelled to pay it forward.

To love is the completion of joy. This is when life makes terrific sense.

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Having experienced love, via the grace of God manifest within forgiving relationships, we naturally want to reciprocate it. This is the best of life. Love is at its best when it wants to love.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

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