Are We Hard-wired to Love?
My parents were a product of the American Depression, the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. I was raised thinking that life was a competition and a matter of acquisition, a game to see who can get the most. But this is a lie. Life is not a game; life is a gift. The purpose of life is not to win with the most; the purpose of life is to learn to love well.
Are we hard-wired to love or is it learned? Yes, both, I think. We’re wired to connect; viscerally we want to love, be loved and belong. Religions have been structured around the concept of altruistic love. The Abrahamic religions all command us to “love thy neighbor as thyself." Sometimes we lose sight of this and get caught up in the trivialities, the minutiae. Learning to love well, loving with intentionality, can be difficult. The idea of loving others and being loved sounds so good, so noble, so worthy.
Over nearly three decades in ministry I’ve noticed that many show their love for the disenfranchised and marginalized by giving. Cool. Consider the words of Mother Teresa, however: “…Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they [the marginalized] need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go…”
Paul’s writings to the church at Corinth are truly wise. His composition on love has spawned countless discussions:
"...Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily |angered, it keeps no record of wrongs . . . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails . . ." (1 Cor. 13: 4-5, 7-8; NIV)
Unfailing love — what does that love actually look like? Paul explains that it doesn’t matter how spiritual we think we are or what amazing things we do. If our lives are not flowing from a place of authentic love, we have nothing. That thought alone is sobering and ought to give us pause … there’s so much to think about here. Like: Love honors others; Love is selfless; Love doesn’t record — it is not quid pro quo; Love, intentional love, lasts. Love. It’s our highest and hardest calling.
#MininstryinMotion #Pkes
