“I love you, you love me we’re together a happy family.” As I’m sure you know, these are the popular lyrics of the childhood friendly purple dinosaur, Barney.
As a child when I first saw Barney singing this song as he danced away with children my own age around him I felt very weird about watching it. There was something wrong with the lyrics (never mind a grown man in a purple dinosaur costume dancing). As a five year old I couldn’t put a finger on what was bothering me about it. But one thing I did know was whatever “love” Barney was singing about wasn’t real love.
In hindsight, this love was very superficial. It totally ignored the reality of authentic love. The ugly side of it that requires real sacrifice, perseverance, and faith. It didn’t give me hope a child. I couldn’t relate it to my experience.
God is Love?
It seems it’s this “Barney type of love” is what our culture chases. One that is ultimately rooted in comfort with no sense perseverance or sacrifice. And if I may say, a love that is delusional.
Courtesy of Mayur Gala from Unsplash.com
We see the negative side effects of this in my own country. Politicians in the public sphere preach love and tolerance with evangelical fervor rooted in false compassion. We should be loving towards each other except towards the unborn or the terminally ill. Why love them? It just gets in the way of our pursuit for comfort. This is the mindset of a people who forgot what love is.
“The Cross is offensive.”
Even our churches, which are supposedly rooted in Jesus Christ’s teaching sometimes preach a love without referring to how Jesus Himself loved. “God is Love” (re.1 John 4:8) the pastors echo the words of the Apostle John, yet they don’t refer to the love the that God demands of us fearing offending modern sensibilities of political correctness. But here’s the reality my Christian sisters and brothers…The Cross is offensive. It’s not easy to stare at the dying face of an innocent man on the ancient equivalent of the electric chair, who is God in the flesh. And to make us feel even more uncomfortable, this is the love that Jesus demands of everyone of us to imitate. “Whoever, wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24), says Jesus.
True Love is one that is totally self-giving and persevering.
Jesus so loved the very people that murdered brutally murdered Him, that he was willing to take their place on the cross. He was willing to take on the penalty for the crimes that they committed. Conventional wisdom tells us that it is they, Pontius Pilate, Roman centurions, and the religious authorities that deserve to be on the cross because it is they who committed the real unjust act. Yet Jesus, who is God, and had every opportunity to pass judgement on them, forgave them. God Himself, chose to be murdered with and by criminals. The very first people who felt his redeeming and transforming love was a criminal hanging with Him on the cross (see. Luke 23:43) and one the Roman centurions who beat, mocked and crucified Jesus (see. Matthew 27:54).
This love ought to be imitated in all of our relationships. Total self-gift for the good of other. Ironically it is this total self-gift in my marriage is what brought me authentic joy. By giving up a little I gained authentic joy. As a former atheist, I can’t believe what I was missing out on.
The Face of Christ’s Joy
Throughout the history of Christianity there have been and are countless women and men who have imitated Christ’s love and transformed those around them. To conclude I would like to share with the brief life one of people.
Chiara Luce Badano was a young Italian woman who died at the age of 18 in 1990 from osteogenic sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
She was a typical teenage girl who loved life. She loved playing tennis, mountain climbing and dreamed of becoming a flight attendant so she can see the world. Following her diagnosis she was hospitalized and her dreams and lifestyle went out the window.
The patients and doctors at the hospital fell in love with Chiara. Despite the increasing pain Chiara would go around the hospital bringing joy to other terminally ill patients in the last moments of their life. She would go for walks with the sick despite the excruciating pain in her back. When she was asked to rest, she said she will soon rest with her Father in Heaven.
A pastor who visited Chiara in the hospital before her death asked her, “The light in your eyes is splendid. Where does it come from?” Chiara replied, “I try to love Jesus as much I can.”
Not only did Chiara love Jesus as much as she could, but she also loved like Jesus.
This is real Love. Loving like Jesus.
Question: What is Real Love to you? What do you think is its source?
