A Tribute to Love

The Prodigal Son comes home and is embraced by his father.

Original painting by Charlie Mackesy

photo taken from here



The son said to him,
"Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

But the father said to his servants,
"Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the fattened calf and kill it.
Let's have a feast and celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead
and is alive again;
he was lost and is found."

Luke 15:21-24

February is the month the world celebrates love.

Throughout the ages countless beautiful lines have been penned by songwriters, poets, and authors about this powerful emotion called love.

No one has to be taught how to speak it. Love is a universal language, it can be spoken without words. In any culture, this language is spoken and understood.

Love is the language of the heart.

A tiny baby in the womb of its mother recognizes the voice of love. A woman in her old age, about to breathe her last, still longs to hear the language of love.

Love can soothe an angry heart, speak peace to turbulent emotions, even rekindle feelings that have grown cold, or indifferent.

In fact, love is a powerful political weapon; it can accomplish what hate could never do. It can make wars cease, break down dividing walls, bring peace to troubled lands.

Love heals and builds up where hate tears down and destroys.


But the sad truth is that in our present world, love is not always the natural response.

Offense, retaliation, competition, manipulation, selfish ambition, and control.

These are just some of the trademarks found in many relationships today.


Love is the main motivation of the Father's heart.

And love can be such a protective wall around our hearts, homes, and societies.

Instead, the picture we often see is that of broken down walls, fences needing to be mended.

Underneath the impressive facades of our buildings are crumbling foundations.

Within beautiful homes are lonely hearts aching for love.

Even so-called Christian churches are not exempt. Jesus foretells this when he talks about the signs of the end of the age:

And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another,
and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise,
and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold.

- Matthew 24:10-12

Offense, betrayal and hatred...cause the love of many to grow cold today.

And so it is that relationships are often marked by deals and demands, rather than redemptive offers of grace and hope.

Comfort and convenience, these are the altars before which many in this generation bow. Thus, if a relationship proves too difficult to work on, or if it turns out to be a hindrance to one's carefully laid out plans, if something becomes an interruption, or an intrusion...then it must be sacrificed in favor of promotion and ambition.

Expedience...compromise. These are names of the popular power games today.

There is no room, no time for genuine love. Self is too much on the throne.

And we have all become the poorer for it.

Corruption. Decay.

Hearts shrink, perspectives become much too narrow.

It hurts for us to kick against the goads. Our Creator never designed us for such a low level of existence.

We find ourselves asking, "Where have all the flowers gone?"

Deep inside, something reminds us. We were meant for greater things!

Our hearts were programmed for love.



So love waits, and love endures. This heavenly language is not easily forgotten. We were created for love.

Like the Father waiting for the prodigal son to come to his senses and come home, love waits to be re-awakened.

The door is always open in the Father's house. He stands waiting, ready to give love a second chance.

If we will be honest and listen to the inner voice, we will hear the divine invitation to come home to where love is real, not forced...where you are accepted as you are, without demands, without expectations.

In the Father's house, the welcome never ends.

This month, why not make a paradigm shift?

Come up higher. Make a fresh commitment to walk down this noble path. Everything in life is a choice; surely it's never too late to choose love..

Are there hearts that have shriveled and dried up?

There's always hope. The waters of love can cause them to spring back to life again.

Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

- Isaiah 43:18-19

Choose to have the largeness of heart to overlook an offense, to go the second mile...way beyond the call of duty.

Withhold no one a favor, when it is within our power to grant it.

Extend a helping hand, even when our schedule is tight.

Offer a cup of cold water to a weary traveler.

Speak kind words of appreciation, let them flow like a healing balm to a wounded heart.

Tear up the list. Choose to forgive.

Or ask to be forgiven! Write that letter, make that phone call.

Put your offering down, and be reconciled.

Never mind the sand, go for the gold.

Open the prison door, and let yourself go free!


There is a dying world out there, waiting for someone courageous enough to swim against the tide....willing to stand alone...and make a difference!

One of my favorite songs, written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, is entitled Put A Little Love Away.

It is not really a spiritual song. Talking about a relationship that has ended, its message is simple but serves as a good reminder to us:

"We all need a penny for a rainy day."

Rather than wallow in discouragement, the song tells us to move on, to keep on believing and hoping in love.

Love builds the bridge that all of us must someday pass - there's no denying that.

We can't always have things going our way. Today we're up...but what about tomorrow? Isn't it wise to sow seeds of love today? Their fruits could surely come in handy sooner than we think!

There needs come a time in our life when the best thing we can do is to put our defensive (and offensive!) weapons down...and lift up the banner of love.

A time came when I realized that I didn't always have to defend my position....or to always be right. As my friend Jane Rubietta once said, "Self-righteousness is a heavy burden to carry."

She couldn't have said it better. I got tired of always making my self as the focal point.

Why not rather be wronged?

Or maligned?

Or falsely accused?


That must have been one of the best realizations I ever had. That was the day Jesus spoke to me and said, "Love covers all. Let My love be your defense."


Some think this is sign of weakness. Is it, really?

I think it is a sign of strength, the mark of a conqueror!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us.

- Romans 8:35-37

I came across this poem about love:

Love Is...

Slow to suspect - quick to trust

Slow to condemn - quick to justify
Slow to offend - quick to defend
Slow to expose - quick to shield
Slow to reprimand - quick to forbear
Slow to belittle - quick to appreciate
Slow to demand - quick to give
Slow to provoke - quick to help
Slow to resent - quick to forgive

(Author unknown)

Here are a few other personal lessons I have learned about love through the years:

Love softens the lines on our faces.

Love is a sheltering tree.

Love always hopes, and believes the best.

Love is choosing to fight life's battles in the opposite spirit.

Love means accepting the brokenness of our fellow human beings, and putting on the humility of Christ...

...being willing to be my brother's keeper,

...to be a servant,

...to wash the feet of another.

I am a child of the King, therefore my speech should reflect His royal nature!


Yes, as children of the King, we were designed by our Maker for nobility of character.


Will we choose the way of love... not a mere intellectual assent or head knowledge...but truly, loving from our heart, and in our actions...without conditions?

Jesus did.

For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish
but have eternal life.

- John 3:16

We can make the same choice today!


Related post: In Quietness and Confidence