Give it Away

By Sharon Boyles, LCR member

Love in your heart isn’t put there to stay. Love isn’t love until you give it away.
~ Oscar Hammerstein

The Christmas season is when we go all-out in showing our love for others. Neighbors are joyfully helping neighbors. There are community meals, angel trees, and coat drives. There are gifts and festive secrets and special surprises for loved ones. Friends and family gather to enjoy the season. Homemade cookies and treats are made with love. Abundance, hugs, miracles, magic, and generosity flow like living waters.

And, most importantly, Love came down at Christmas to live among us and guide us along the pathways and deer trails of our lives. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

After the Christmas whirl, though, life returns to normal, and it’s not so easy to see the love.

I mean, it’s everyday life, right? You go to work. You make dinner. You check email. There are taxes to be done. Maybe the snowblower dies (again). You’re bored. Maybe someone made an unkind comment on your post, or that picture of you dancing on the copier at the office Christmas party is still making the rounds on social media.

It’s life, alright, but love is there! Jesus reminds us that everyday life is where love is most present and alive.

He spent most of his time with everyday people and in everyday situations, and he saw the love in all of it. A wedding. A supper. A temple. A home. A lakeshore. A bedside.

Jesus saw love in every situation, and we can do the same, whether it’s at a birthday party, in the commute to work, in an argument, in a furry face greeting us at the door, or at a hospice bedside. 

And keep in mind that to see the love, you have to be the love.

Becoming more loving in your everyday life makes it easier to see the love all around. Granted, being loving is not an easy thing to do in this culture of negativity, anger, and gloom. But Jesus did it, and so can we.

You don’t have to go to preternatural lengths to show love. Jesus wasn’t fancy or lofty; he gave his love away quietly and easily. This is how broken hearts are mended and aching souls are healed. 

Love isn’t love until you give it away. Can you be the one to reach out after an argument or bring comfort food to someone who is grieving? Can you be the one to take a few seconds to move a stranded worm off the sidewalk and onto the grass? Can you post something wonderful and affirming on social media or give your kids a BIG hug for no reason at all? Can you bring a sandwich to a homeless person and listen to their story? Can you tell a complete stranger that you LOVE their festive scarf?

It’s the tiny, everyday actions of giveaway love that change the world and heal hearts…including yours!

Love isn’t love until you give it away
Let the love of Christmas shine every day
Tune in to your heart and try something new 
And see how your love comes back to you!