The sacrifice of love is never wasted

Paul in Corinthians says, in effect, “I can do the most impressive thing possible, but if I do not have love,” it’s just noise, he has nothing, and he gains nothing.  It’s not just that everything without love is a waste of time and effort.  The fact is the very best achievements and accomplishments are nothing without love.

Imagine the very best things that have been accomplished and achieved in the history of humankind, but without love.  Wars.  From one viewpoint, greatness was accomplished due to an invasion.  Without love.  Worse than nothing.  Incredible harm and trauma.

Grounding this message in the reality of our day-to-day relationships, nothing that we do in the sacrifice of love is wasted, even if it feels like it’s a waste of time and effort.

To ensure we never get discouraged and therefore cease our good works of love, we need to sustain those good works through the affirmation of prayer, like, “I know, God, that it seems to me to be a waste of time that I’m kind and patient and gentle when others aren’t, but I know you see and that you’ll turn it out for good eventually.”

Love always lags.  The love of absorbing someone else’s hurtful choices, for instance, doesn’t feel good at all, but if they’re capable of love, the grace we show will never be a waste.

Love always lags in that it can take days or weeks or years to get a return on our investment.  That investment is not about being treated well as much as it is about encouraging others to the higher standard of dignity of love.  Love is an investment that believes its actions can eventually influence others for good.

Time and again (though not always) people come back to acknowledge such undeserved favour bestowed on them.  Yet those who do not come back prove our love is to our credit.

When we can smile for the simple fact that we loved when they didn’t it means we really understand love is something we give as a choice with no requirement for reciprocation.  

Such love also attempts to understand WHY people don’t love or seem to protect themselves.

Such love is about the only genuine freedom there is.  To choose to love is a power that can change the world because no evil can overcome such a choice.

But such love is the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus is the exemplar of such love which is the greatest faith.

“I can be patient and kind and gentle with you, and your response can’t and won’t change how I treat you.  When I choose to be loving toward you, no matter how you treat me, I have more power than you and you know it!—especially when I smile genuinely from my heart.”

Love is a power that overcomes.  No reaction to dissuade us from love works if we keep loving in the faith that nothing of love is ever wasted.

To love and keep loving is a way of protecting our heart, but inevitably we’ll need some love in our lives to support us and to sustain our love.

It takes a lot of courage to keep loving in faith that it won’t be a waste of time.  Such courage, such humility, such vulnerability is always good for us.  It broadens us in the strength of character to keep loving without condition because it’s only unconditional kindness, patience, gentleness that meets the stringent test of love.