Actually Mean It

29 May

“It’s not hard to find someone who tells you they love you. It’s hard to find someone who actually means it.”  ~ Unknown

I have heard thousands of times in my life, “talk is cheap.”  That is absolutely true.  It is easy to say words that are not heartfelt.  It is easy to make promises that one has no intention of keeping.  It is easy to say anything merely in order to get want one wants or to keep out of trouble.  Lies, deceit, and apathy can all be masked by words of kindness, gentleness, and love.

Words do not guarantee reality.  It really is not hard to find someone who tells you they love you.  People do that all the time.  They end phone conversations or personal visits with “I love you.”  When something nice is given to a person, the words, “I love you” come quickly from the recipient.  Do they actually mean it?  That’s the real question.

There are people who can say, “I love you”, while they are planning on firing you, shunning you, or harming you.  They know that their words, their “promise” of love will keep us off base.  We think about the love a person might have for us rather than look for the reality behind the person.

God is nothing like that.  When He said He loved us, He proved it be sending His Son, Jesus, to be born as one of us so that He could take on our frail human nature.  When Jesus said He loved us, He proved it by allowing Himself to be nailed to a cross and die a horrific death in order to set us free from sin and death.  Jesus told us He loved us.  He called us His friends.  He lived His life accordingly.

Today’s reflection was not designed to have you “hunt down” all the people who speak meaningless words of love and support to you.  If you think that, you have the wrong idea.  Today’s reflection has been designed as a reminder to each and every one of us that we need to back our words with our deeds.

If we tell people that we love them, we need to back those words by loving actions.  Anything less would make us out to be liars and frauds.  Don’t take the easy way out and dismiss someone with a kindly word but no intention to help.

FAITH ACTION:  In everything that you do and say today, make sure that others know of your love for them.