Goodness Weekly 2.13.23

“If you knew the secret of life, you too would choose no other companion but love.”
— Rumi

Message from Jess:

When we went through foster parent training one of the social workers said, “No amount of love is ever wasted.” She used this to remind those of us embarking on the fostering journey of the reality that the children placed in our care may only be with us temporarily. Her point was that when you invest love into someone, it stays with them forever.

As you have probably experienced in your own life, loss is the bittersweet companion to love. In our case, we went through the heartbreak of saying goodbye to two darling foster children who were with us only six weeks, but that heartbreak reminded us that we did love them. And love is never wasted.

A couple of weeks ago we looked at the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount and I shared from my research that these are not commands, but rather descriptions of the way things are.

When Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” He is saying that we are blessed for having loved, and we are blessed by the comfort of the God who is as close as our very breath.

Now that we’re in February where there’s a lot of talk about love (especially with Valentine’s Day this week) and where we also begin our Lenten season, mixed emotions can arise.

I know for certain from those who I have loved and lost, that not only is love never wasted, but it is the one thing we leave behind. When we love there is a shift that happens in the world around us—a ripple that moves in ways we may never know or see. It is our greatest task, and the command of our lives—to love.

Let’s celebrate love by loving, by giving, by being present, by listening, and by being kind—less of the heart shaped consumerism and more of the stuff that reminds every person we encounter that they are not alone in this world.

I pray that you know you are so very loved and that you are blessed by a God who says you are never alone.

May you have the courage to love, even when it is scary and hard, because it is what the world needs now more than ever.

Love, Jess