1 John 3:18
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
Reflection
This week my friend was telling me about why she wears a mask. She doesn’t think it will protect her from GETTING the COVID-19 Virus. She believes it will protect her from GIVING it to someone, if she is asymptomatic. Her words were “My wearing a mask is an act of love for the other.”
Then I received this e-mail (I’m not sure of the original source):
Bill Gates’ profound statement:
When you go out and see the empty streets, the empty stadiums, the empty train platform, don’t say to yourself,
“My God, it looks like the end of the world.”
What you’re seeing is love in action. What you’re seeing, in that negative space, is how much we do care for each other, for our grandparents, for our immuno-compromised brothers and sisters, for people we will never meet.
People will lose jobs over this. Some will lose their businesses. And some will lose their lives.
All the more reason to take a moment, when you’re out on your walk, on your way to the store, or just watching the news, to look into the emptiness and marvel at all that love.
Let it fill you and sustain you. It isn’t the end of the world. It’s the most remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness.
It is the reason the world will go on.
As those who follow Christ we are called to share love in action. Sometimes that is easy to do. Sometimes it is more difficult and the cost feels HUGE – to ourselves and to others.
I am a firm believer that love has the ability to change our world – the love God shares with us so that we can live that love out in active and intentional ways. And every day of this Pandemic there are people who are actively living out love.
Thank you to our essential workers and those who go out each day so that others can stay home to be safe. Thank you to those who are working from home as they keep our economy and our schools and businesses and food-supplies running. Thank you to entertainers and news-people and politicians and those who are parenting. Thank you to those who are praying and those who are staying home even when that causes them distress. Thank you to all those who are loving the world and loving others through their actions. God is working in us as we live love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
Prayer:
God, we are so grateful for the many who are living love – in all sorts of ways. When it is challenging, inspire us. When we struggle, strength us. When we are uncertain, remind us of Your constant presence. May the love that is shared work toward healing in the world. Amen.
To Listen and Sing:
