In the movie musical Oliver!, there is a scene of an orphan awakened by the light of a new day. He opens the window, and gazes out. He sees love in the Morning, and love in the faces of all those in the margins. He is able to see love in others because it lives so abundantly within his own heart.
It is not enough to ask, "Where is love?" We must be willing and open to answer by saying, "Love is here."
A good friend sent me a photograph of her husband and daughter blowing out candles on a birthday cake. It is one of my favorite photographs. It is not posed, nor is it perfectly in focus, but it is natural, spontaneous, and genuine. In it, a father and daughter express an exuberance of emotion. He holds his hands to his mouth in joy-filled surprise. His daughter blows out the tiny flames with earnest concentration. The cake between them, taking up most of the frame, has the added symbolism of the familial bond connecting the two figures.
I keep the photo out where I can see it, for this photograph is a visual reminder to seek out that which connects me to others, and more importantly, I am reminded to love others as myself.
What value is there to prayer, service to others, preaching, teaching, study, hard work, sacrifice, if empty of empathy and compassion?
It is not enough to bake and serve a cake. Are we willing to share it as well? Are we willing to sit down with one another, setting aside differences, and just meet as equals? Love is radical, yes? Love presupposes that no obstacle exists, or could ever exist, between itself and the object of its affection.
Yes, I do use the word, "Affection." It is not enough to say we love, we must demonstrate it, earnestly, joyfully.
Spiritual lessons don't always come in a leather-bound book, or vaulted cathedral. Sometimes lessons can be found in the mail, in a simple photograph. I am grateful to my friend, for though we are physically separated by a vast distance, she nevertheless continues to share her life and wisdom.
Love is like that. Knowing no boundaries, it can do all things.
