What Does Love Require Of Me?

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“Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.”— David Wilkerson

One of the most photographed icons in Philadelphia is the Love Statue in Love Park near the city center.  The piece was created by artist Robert Indiana in 1976 for the Bicentennial celebration in Philadelphia, and was restored a few years ago.  

It's a piece that has been duplicated for other cities, adapted into other languages, sold in miniature at art museums, and emblazoned on everything from t-shirts to drink coasters.  

And yet, despite the ways that people want to photograph and incorporate the Love statue image into a variety of expressions, I can't help but wonder if something is getting lost along the way.  It's one thing to post a photo of yourself standing next to the Love statue,  but quite another to actually practice the message it intends.  

Few questions are more practical—or more transformative—than this one:

What does love require of me?

Life constantly presents situations in which we must choose how to respond. Conflict arises. Relationships become strained. People disappoint us. We encounter suffering, injustice, loneliness, and need.

In those moments, love is rarely the easiest option.

Love requires patience when irritation feels easier.
Love requires forgiveness when resentment feels justified.
Love requires courage when silence feels safer.

When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, he responds with remarkable simplicity: love God and love everybody (Matthew 22:36-40). According to Jesus, the entire spiritual life revolves around love.

You demonstrate your love for God by loving others, and your love for others reflects God's love.  According to Jesus, this is the way we must live if we call ourselves children of God.  

Yet love is not merely sentiment.  Turns out, love is a verb as well as a noun. It's both an action and a deeply held feeling.  

The Apostle Paul describes love as patient, kind, humble, and enduring (1 Corinthians 13). Those qualities are less about feelings and more about choices. Love becomes real when it moves beyond intention and into practice.

This question makes us human because it moves us beyond self-interest. It invites us to consider not merely what benefits us, but what blesses others.

It is also a question that can guide us through uncertainty. We may not always know the perfect decision. We may not have all the answers. But asking what love requires often points us in the right direction.

The world frequently rewards power, competition, and self-promotion.

The Gospel calls us toward love.

And perhaps the measure of a life well lived is not how much we accumulate, accomplish, or achieve, but how faithfully we learn to love.  

Prayer

God of love, help me ask this question each day and give me the courage to live its answer. Teach me to love generously, courageously, and faithfully in my relationships and in the world around me. Amen.

Reflection Questions

  1. What relationship in your life most needs love right now?
  2. Where are you being invited to choose compassion over convenience?
  3. How might asking this question shape your decisions this week?

 

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