Love Packs a Punch

“Perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

Sometimes people just make you feel well-loved.

A few days ago I came home to find on the counter a small pile of mail, at the top of which was a bright red Valentine’s Day envelope from my aunt. Inside the envelope there was a card for my wife, because Valentine’s Day is her birthday. There was also a card for me and my girls, which included a little school-style Valentine for each of us, $30 cash, and a picture of my mom and her three sons, me included.

My girls were excited to see the cash and they grinned and laughed looking at the picture of my mom and us boys as young whippersnappers with dopey smiles. It was nice to get a fun little Valentine’s Day card from my aunt, but there was so much more to this. I know that my aunt, who has done this type of thing before, sent this card in honor of my mom and dad. You see, my mom and dad passed away before my daughters were born so the girls have never been able to know their grandparents or feel their love. My aunt will, from time to time, do something for my girls to help them know my mom and dad and to show them the kind of love my parents would have showered on their grandchildren if they were still here.

So as I opened the card knowing what my aunt was up to, I paused, took a deep breath, and felt very well-loved. As I explained to my girls what my aunt was doing and why she was doing it, one of them started to tear up because she too felt very well-loved.

That card was such a simple action, but it packed a really powerful punch. That is what true love does. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” In this case, perfect love cast out our grief. This kind of love is able to take something as painful as grief and turn it into something beautiful. I carry a load of pain and grief because of the loss of my parents. My girls live with the loss and void of never knowing the love of two people who would have been very awesome grandparents. As strong as grief and loss are, my aunt’s simple act of love turned our grief into a backdrop so the beautiful love of Christ could take center stage. I’m reminded of Isaiah’s poetic prophecy: God wants to turn our sorrow into dancing and give us beauty for our ashes.

I so deeply want my daughters to know that grief doesn’t have to cripple us, and that sorrow is not something to be avoided at all costs. I want them to be able to grieve well and never lose hope in the midst of suffering. This simple act of love shown to my family through a Valentine’s Day card was inspired by the Spirit of God and put into practice by the obedience of one of His daughters. It reminded us that God’s love is more powerful than anything else, but it also helped us experience that powerful love.

There is a lot of grief in our world today; all around us there are people who have experienced loss, hardship, and pain. These people are well-acquainted with grief and the pain of grief. We have the opportunity to help them become well-acquainted with the love of Christ by pouring out by simple acts of love. Through love, we can see people set free from the chains of their sorrow. We can see our homes and streets filled with dancers who dance in the spaces where grief used to cripple. We can be a people who turn enemies and strangers into friends and family of God.

Today I pray that we—the people who know the love of Christ—will be inspired by His Spirit to show His love in simple and creative ways.

David

P.S. I was able to have dinner with another one of my dad’s sisters last week. Being with her is, for me, like being a kid again. She has somehow stepped in to represent each of my parents and grandparents who have passed away. I feel the love of all of them in her and being with her feels like home.

The other aunt has always cared a lot about my life and my work. She has always wanted to help me, and has helped me many times. Two weeks ago, she said she felt God lead her to give us a gift. She has no idea how timely the gift was for us and, more importantly, for the future of one of our daughters. I was blown away when we received the gift; even as I write this I feel that same wind blowing me away. She noted that, even though it was her decision to give it, the gift was made possible by my grandparents.

She said she was just passing on love from them to us.