Monday, March 11, 2024
“Tell Someone You Love Them”
As we begin the third week of Lent, our Monday Challenge is rather simple: “Tell Someone You Love Them.”
This Challenge should be simple, but for plenty of people, it’s not easy at all. Some folks don’t have a special someone close to them, so saying, “I Love You” won’t be easy. Other folks don’t have family members or close friends that they can easily access. Some folks would love to be able to say it, but they don’t feel loved; offering love to another person makes them feel too vulnerable.
Love is easy to define until one sits down to do it. The lovely author and theologian CS Lewis offers a definition, but even he must break it down into a four-part book and discussion. Did he get it right? His effort is brilliant. (“The Four Loves,” by CS Lewis. Part I is available for listening/watching here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4hI638mskQ )
Love is difficult to explain because it is a gift from God. Divine gifts, in all of their power and greatness, can’t always be defined by human language. Divine gifts are beyond our understanding or ability to describe, yet that doesn’t prohibit the LORD from granting them to us.
Love is the most powerful thing in the universe. It’s more than just a cliché that we share together when we’re sitting on the sandy beach or next to the fireplace. Love is something that God offers to the world because God wants us to have the most powerful tool against anger, hatred, and all sin.
We don’t have to be in love to say, “I love you”. If we stretch our definition of love beyond our normal boundaries, we might find that we love a little more than we realize. But again, this Challenge is not meant to cause pain. Rather, this Challenge is intended to help bring a smile to the beginning of a new week. If, in trying to complete this Challenge, you’re not in a position to share this simple phrase with someone, don’t sweat it. Instead, make this a “To-do” goal for the 2024 Lenten Season and ask God for some help. My guess is that, regardless of your feelings today, this Lenten Season God will deliver an opportunity.
Tell Someone You Love Them Today!
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John13:34, NIV)
