In memory of Vanessa Yasintha Wambura (August 2003 – August 2023).

How do you show your love to others? How would you like to be loved? What is love exactly? Is it that warm, mushy, sentimental feeling inside that makes us happy and thrilled? Or is it more than just a feeling? Though love can make you feel wonderful, it’s basically more than that… The truth is, there’re so many impressions of love and people can see love in different ways. Today, I want to focus on true love in action as it’s illustrated from the word of God, as it can be applied to our daily life.

While doing our daily devotion with my family at one night, we did some discussion around the topic of love as it’s found in the verse from 1 John 3: 18: “Dear children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth”. Surprisingly, Joyce Meyer has quoted the same verse in her book which I love called “Trusting God Day by Day”, she started her devotion with a quote this way: “Let us not love merely in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth in practice and sincerity” 1 John 3:18.

This quote is basically the true meaning of love. I think real love is more than a few goose bumps and gooey emotions, It’s about the choices we make concerning the way we treat others. Real love is not theory or talk, it’s about actions. It is the decision we make and the way we behave during relationships with other people. Based on what I have learned from the words of God, real love is kind and does not envy and sometimes sacrifices need to be made. God showed his love to us in so many ways. Jesus, God’s son, sacrificed himself, by dying on the cross to save us from sins. God sacrificed his son.

I tell my family I love them very often. Sometimes I just do that by how I act toward them. I see their love to me the same way. My father has been away for a few weeks and my family and I miss him so much… It’s hard being separated from each other for such a long time. I know for sure that he loves me and I love him too. Love can be shared from miles away through different ways. Thus, although you and your loved one may be miles away physically, you’re close by heart and mind. I think the highest point of love is when you are willing to sacrifice yourself or someone you love dearly because God is asking you to, or because you know it is right. A story that displays the true love that someone has for God is a story from Genesis 22:1-19. Do you know what this story is all about?

Well, it is one of my favorites so why not share it: God puts Abraham to the ‘Test’, in this reading God says to Abraham “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Remember, Isaac was Abraham’s only son and he had him at old age. But still as the story continues, “Abraham took Isaac, two servants and a donkey and set off on the 50 mile journey. When they arrived, Abraham ordered the servants to wait with the donkey while he and Isaac went up the mountain. He told the men, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Isaac and Abraham off they went up the mountain; then Isaac asked “Where is the lamb?” His father, Abraham responded saddened and confused “The Lord will provide the lamb.” Abraham then bounded up his son and placed him on the altar. Just as Abraham raised the knife to kill his son, an angel from the heavens above called out to Abraham “Stop Abraham. Do not harm the boy. I know you fear the Lord because you have not withheld your only son. When Abraham looked up, he saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns…” Then he sacrificed that instead of his son. The end! I feel the goose bumps just imagining the whole story!!

To me, this story is true action and the highest point of love like I mentioned before. We can all desire to be like Abraham, willing to make sacrifices, accept what needs to be done and demonstrate our true love in action. By the way, loving one another is a command of God. Sometimes ‘faith’ is all it takes to truly show your love to your loved ones and towards others. The good news is, when love is spread, our world can be a better place for all.

You know why? … Because, LOVE NEVER FAILS!!

With love,

Vanessa Wambura.