Christmas Love

What is love? What does it look like, feel like, act like? Each of us would have different answers based on our own experiences. But what is love? Really, what is love?
Let me go back a few years. Actually, over fifty years ago, when I taught a Sunday school class of kindergartners in Wenatchee, Washington. Our lesson, complete with a flannel board aid, was about creation. To get the little ones involved at the very beginning of class, I turned off the lights and closed the drapes thus making the room as dark as possible. Then I whispered, “Think about this for a few seconds, what do you think it was like before God created anything?” After fifteen seconds or so I opened the drapes, turned on the lights, sat myself down at the table with the now squirmy children and repeated the same simple question, “What was it like before God created anything?”
The first answers I heard were the ones I had expected. Each response was shared with animated faces and hand motions only kindergartners can make.
“It was really, really dark.”
“Ooooo, it was real scary.”
“You couldn’t see anything.”
“I’d hide.”
Then came a response that blew me away and has stayed with me all these years. Out of the mouth of a six-year-old named Bart came his answer.
“There was nothing there but LOVE.”
He had the perfect answer, the true answer, Love and God are synonymous and have always been. Our definitions of love usually revolve around emotions, what we feel or don’t feel. I personally cannot tell you what TRUE LOVE is because I am a mere human, but I can tell you who LOVE is. He is our creator, healer, provider, sanctifier, redeemer, teacher, admonisher, banner, peace, shepherd, always present Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
May we truly show His LOVE, not ours with its conditions and hooks, not only this advent season, not only for Christmas, but every day of our lives.