Love's Reward

The Wizard of Oz said to the Tin Man, ‘A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.’ 

This statement has bothered me for as long as I can remember. Maybe you’ve questioned it, too? How much we’re loved by others may have nothing to do with how much love we give. 

Celebrities are greatly loved by many; this has nothing to do with how much the celebrities love anyone. Mobs of adoring fans pack stadiums to watch athletes perform, regardless of how they treat the people around them. 

Contrary to what the Wizard of Oz said, we are called to love others, not get them to love us. 

There are people whose love for others is much greater than the love others have for them. Jesus is the #1 example. As a man He was Love Incarnate. He used the power of Love to teach, heal, forgive, and free people from emotional distress. Large crowds followed Him, but there were many who mistrusted Him. Some people were so disturbed by His Way of loving that they killed Him. He knew they were plotting to kill Him and yet He continued to love those who came to Him. His love to the point of death was rewarded with His resurrection and eternal life in heaven. 

Mother Teresa expressed love in the dignity she gave to the poorest of the poor, the sick, and the dying. She did it out of love for Christ: she loved them because she saw in each person the image of Christ. Probably few of them could love her back because they were so close to death. She undoubtedly is being rewarded now with eternal life with Christ Himself.

Jesus said, “Love one another'' not “Make sure people love you” or even “Love others so that they love you back.” 

And so, each of us is called to show the love of Christ to those around us – in our own ways, with the talents God has given us – whether or not they also love us, and especially if they don’t love us (see Luke 6:34-36)! We have the capacity for great love because Christ’s Love already dwells inside us. We claim His Love; we thank Him for loving us and we treat ourselves kindly. We look for opportunities to give this Love for the benefit of others, everywhere we go and in everything we do. We know that the more love we share, the more it grows and the stronger it becomes inside us. And we give it with joy and confidence, remembering that Christ assured us that we, too, will be rewarded for sharing His love with others, regardless of whether we’re loved in return.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” –Matthew 5:12

“Lord, let my joy come from loving You in the people around me!”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...