Ed, my old neighbour in Saskatchewan, has found a way to take the cost out of Valentine鈥檚 Day. He was telling me that he has discovered you can do Valentine鈥檚 Day a day late. On Feb. 15, Ed handed Ruby a valentine鈥檚 card, a box of chocolates shaped like a heart and a small bunch of flowers. Ruby said it鈥檚 not Valentine鈥檚 Day. Ed said, 鈥淚t is close enough. If you don鈥檛 want the chocolates, I鈥檒l eat them.鈥�
Ed usually ignores Valentine鈥檚 Day, but this year when he went in the store a day after Valentine鈥檚 Day, flowers and chocolates were half price, and Ed felt he could afford to be generous for a change. He saw a chance to surprise Ruby and show her his romantic side. He is not good at telling Ruby that he loves her.
I told Ed that saying, 鈥淚 love you is not always easy to say to another or easy to show to another. There has been so much written about love. Robert Wagner announced that a dog will teach you unconditional love. K. Freedman also said that money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make the dog wag his tail. Y. Hadia wrote that he believes forgiveness is the best form of love in any relationship. It takes a strong person to say that they are sorry and an even stronger person to forgive.
Love is usually portrayed as a feeling or attitude that is positive and comfortable and powerful in results. Mother Teresa wrote that we should always meet each other with a smile, for our smiles are the beginnings of love. Martin Luther King Jr. said that love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. Most would agree that love is meant to be positive and transforming. Our attitude tends to be that we love those that love us.
Jesus in His sermon on the plain, in the gospel of Luke, challenges our understanding of love. In fact, He reminds us that love may well hurt us. The way Jesus speaks of love flies in the face of our attitude that love is meant to bless us not stress us. Since we tend to love those that love us, we take pride in our faithful love of our friends and family members. We also ask, 鈥淲hy would I be kind to the ungrateful and evil? Why would I lend to those who may not return what they have borrowed? Why wouldn't I just do good to those who do good to me? Why would I love expecting nothing in return?鈥澨�
The way of the world is to do what is best for us. Love only those who you feel deserve your love. Judge for yourself who deserves your love and who doesn鈥檛. Treat folks as either a friend or enemy. You do not need to be merciful to your enemies or forgive them or others.
Love shown by Jesus hurts. The truth is that God acted to save the ungrateful and evil. Jesus loved us while we were sinners. His love for us hurt him, killed him on the cross. He loved his enemies dying for them showing us God鈥檚 love.
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