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Love, It’s Not Rocket Science

Growing up, I’ve heard over and over when something is hard: “Well, at least it’s not Rocket Science”. That saying makes the point that Rocket Science is hard. It takes lots of math, understanding, and reasoning. A couple years ago, I took a course in educational research. My professor used to say, when talking about Educational Research, “It’s not Rocket Science….it’s harder”. Referring to how conditions change so radically in education that can affect the outcome. I joke that a student can have a bad breakfast, get in a bad mood, and your day is changed. Or someone had a good night sleep, and your outcome is different.

Love isn’t like any of these. Love is easy. We make it hard.

My daughters love me. They say it all the time. They give me hugs. They say “I miss you daddy” or “I love you Daddy”. They want cuddles all the time. They want to be in my presence. It could be 1:00 A.M and they still want my presence when all I want is my pillow and blanket.

We are born to love. Our first desire is to hang onto our parents. We need them for support, safety, food, and everything. We love them and they love us.

When everything is going well and people agree with us, it’s easy to love. It’s hard to love when we disagree. When someone has a different point of view from us. When someone looks or acts differently than us. We make love hard. We find so many reasons to not love people. Just look at Facebook or the news. It’s crazy how much energy we put into not loving people.

Imagine if we just smiled and showed love to everyone, no matter how hard it is. (And showing love isn’t always sunshine and puppy dogs. You can show love through corrective action. You can show love through disappointment and help).

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” – John 13:34

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”- Hebrews 13:1-2

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” – 1 Peter 1:22-24

In the NIV, the word Love appears 551 times. That’s a lot of love. Love is everywhere in the Bible as it should be in our lives. We are commanded by Jesus to Love one another as he loved us. Last time I checked, that love involved him dying on the cross of us. Would you die on the cross for someone? Do you show hospitality to strangers? Have you been purified by the blood and the water?

These are easy questions with hard answers. If we answer yes to these, then we need to love. We need to not judge someone. We need to share the Lord and share his love. We don’t need to fight and call each other names. We don’t need to use this loving energy to tear each other down.

I am sickened when I read comments on news and social media. I’m sickened by the hate that is shown for the other. I’m sickened when I see our leader’s using the Bible to tear down things they don’t like. This is not love.

I choose to love everyone. I choose to share Jesus and Love everywhere.

When I hug my kids and wife I show love. Yes, they drive me crazy like many things do, but I try to show love all the time. I’m not perfect, but I want to live in a world of love.

Are you willing to trade the hate for love? Are you willing to share this child-like love with everyone?

I am willing to love everyone with the help of God.