A little girl neighbor of my sister’s took the liberty of writing the word “love” in chalk on her front porch. My sister knew that would appeal to me and sent the picture attached to this post.
What really struck me, though, was that in this particular picture we can see the welcome mat, too. So as I looked at the picture I saw, “welcome love.” That, my friends, spoke to me.
It sounds simple enough. I mean we’re wired to need and want love. Shouldn’t we welcome love? I’m not just talking about something as superficial as romantic love. Romantic love has its purpose but any meaningful relationship must have more than that.
I think we can see this in the real world in parent-child and other familial relationships and in deep, healthy friendships. Some of this comes in the form of tough love. I would argue that we don’t always welcome that love. We should. I’m as guilty as anyone about shying away from this.
The vast majority of the love in our lives has nothing to do with romantic love. Romantic love is marketing. It’s a pretty package. Many of us have discovered at some point that sometimes it’s nothing more the petty package. It has its place for sure but the love I’m talking about today is different. I’m talking about a deeper, a less obviously attractive love. I’m talking agape love. A love that we read about in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
This love, that mirrors God’s love for us, corrects us and helps us grow. We don’t often like this but it’s necessary. We correct the behavior of our children because it’s needed for proper development. We feed them healthy food, buckle them in car seats and make them wear coats when it’s cold because it’s for their safety and development.
Once we’re adults, real friends can play this same role by telling us the truth even when we don’t want to hear it. It’s hard to do but we should welcome this as well. God frequently delivers this needed guidance and growth to us in the form of friends.
Someone once told me that I shouldn’t cheat people out of the opportunity to be a blessing. That has stuck with me for years. When we roll out the welcome mat to receive love, our relationships with God and each other are strengthened. As a bonus, we allow God to bless others through opportunities that we can’t possibly know they need.
I believe God also delivers blessings and miracles in much the same way – through love. An unexpected gift from a friend can show up at exactly the right time. A friend who helps during a time of need not only shows love but often receives it in the process.
Let’s be conscious of that first reaction to actually build walls and close doors to God’s love. When we get upset that someone is lovingly correcting us or offering help that we try to refuse, let’s pause and rethink that just maybe we have a chance to welcome God’s love instead.
You see one of the real miracles in being open to welcoming God’s love is watching how it multiplies and transforms everything and everyone it touches.
