LET US LOVE BOLDLY
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” - Jesus
The month of February is always filled with pink and red hearts, candy, greeting cards, and adorable Valentine messages. And what would Valentine’s Day be without the iconic Sweethearts candy with their short messages of love? I’ve noticed that as much as Jesus said about love, and he said a lot, none of his words have been printed on rock-hard candy hearts or Hallmark cards.
Obviously, “there is no fear in love” or “love your enemies” and other quotes from Jesus are too long to print on such tiny candy, but they also are too deep for what most of us want to hear on Valentine’s Day. Most of us don’t want to be reminded that real love requires vulnerability. If you’ve ever been hurt by someone you love, you know that uneasy truth. To love is to take a risk. And yet, God’s love shows us that it is the only risk worth taking.
Consider this: every act of love carries with it the potential for grief. We grieve when relationships break. We grieve when people we love move away, grow distant, or die. The depth of our grief is often a reflection of the depth of our love. Grief, painful as it is, is not something we can avoid, unless we avoid love. C.S. Lewis once said, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to keep it intact, give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.” This led Lewis to the bold and startling truth: “The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is hell.”
Apart from our own relationships, human history also teaches us what happens when societies prioritize security over love and vulnerability. Time and time again, nations have pursued the illusion of complete safety, and it has always come at the cost of their humanity. Walls are built, borders are closed, neighbors are labeled as threats, and people are dehumanized in the name of self-preservation. Fear takes the place of love. In pursuing security above all else, societies often lose the very values they sought to protect. The call of Christ challenges us to a different way—a way that leaves space for compassion, relationship, and the courage to risk being hurt in order to love.
Jesus loved completely and without concern for himself. He knew it would lead to rejection, betrayal, and the cross. Yet, he chose love anyway. His vulnerability wasn’t weakness—it was the greatest love the world has ever seen. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus reveals that love is stronger than fear, grief, or even death itself. Love doesn’t hide behind walls of self-protection; it steps boldly into the uncertainty of human connection.
The truth is, we cannot love without risk. We cannot love without vulnerability. This is true in our families, friendships, and communities, and it is true in our call to love the world. When we extend hospitality to strangers, when we forgive someone who has wronged us, when we invest in relationships despite the possibility of loss, we reflect the love that Jesus shared with us.
Let us love boldly, not because it is safe, but because it is holy. This week, consider one way you can choose love even if it feels risky. Whether it’s reaching out to someone you’ve been avoiding, offering forgiveness, or extending hospitality to a stranger, or standing up for the oppressed even when it’s unpopular. Let’s find ways to love even when it’s risky.
-Pastor Justin
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