Created with love in mind

The megaphone declaration, in New Testament in the Bible, that love was on its way was not declared by political or societal leaders. But by a guy who sat outside the system (Luke 1v80, Luke 3v1-18). John called for a new way, the way of love. We too are to live a life of love in action, being a voice that points to a greater way. Love was our calling before we were created.

While love was written into our DNA it is still a choice. Relationships exist in many forms in our world. Some relationships we seek out, others come with co-location or other decisions we make. The way that we relate in these relationships comes down to intention, habit, culture and choice. Love cannot exist without the freedom to choose it.

Because love requires freedom to choose it, to love means we may not have our love returned. While a one-way love can be powerful and selfless, it can also remain unseen to the other. But how amazing it is when two choose to love each other? The world around them begins to change in the midst of this dynamic two-way dialogue.

God is relational. There is an intimate bond between the father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We are created in God’s image with this desire for intimacy at the core of us. One of our great mandates is to love, to create family, a new way of being. Yet our love is often less than perfect. We long for a love greater than ourselves, a love that is unfailing. We long for a divine, expansive, revolutionary kind of love, the love of our creator.

And even divine, expansive and revolutionary love needs freedom to grow. Receiving love cannot be mandated by God, or by anyone. He paints his love for us the world over, in creation, in small situations and big. But he cannot make us love him. He puts it out there, so that it’s known. But leaves us to choose how to respond to his love.

But this love goes beyond just loving him back and loving another. This love has implications for his creation. In finding this great love, we then care for the other heart loves of our great love; his creation, the planet, and other people, creating order and bringing justice.

Like a couple in love affects their friends, family, workplaces, environments so this great love radiates out and impacts the world. If we choose to cherish it, to respond to it, to choose it. So we are called and created for it.