Every parent loves their child. You cannot carry another human being for 9 months, go through childbirth in whatever way you went through it and not come out on the other side without having a love for that child you cannot express. Love however is the most misunderstood word in the English language.

We quote John 3:16 on placards at baseball and football games. We have bumper stickers on our cars that say, Jesus loves you. We put up signs in our yard that declare love is love. We say how much we love someone, but we don’t really know what love is. Why does this matter, why is this even a blog this morning? The reason is because I saw a family thanksgiving dinner picture by a person I know on Instagram and sitting at the table was a person completely decked out as a skeleton.

Human love says, we just let them express themselves however they want to. We abjecate our authority as mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, sister or brother, friend or family member. We let them live in death and call it love. We have no expectation of them, we have no concern they are literally manifesting death and the Bible says, “A man’s face reflects his heart.” When a teenager is reflecting death, our love for them should kick in and want to see them live. If this person was to die, everyone at that table would be grieving, but there is a person eating with you in skeleton face paint and my heart broke when I saw it.

Friends, love does not give up its authority to please or tolerate people. Love sets boundaries, love speaks life, love sees what is wrong and works on solutions to bring people back to life. We live in a world that does not know what love is. My heart is breaking for this child at that table I have never met. I love someone I may never meet, because real love wants everyone to live; believes everyone is redeemable; is always looking at and listening to people. We need people who know what love is to arise and shine!