This week I’ve been thinking a lot about words that, when used as a noun, should probably be used as a verb. The first definition of love, for example, is “an intense feeling of deep affection.” That is a noun. It is also used as a verb, but it reflects the moment of feeling that sense of deep affection. This is a great word to have in our vocabulary tool kit.
A Wheel of Emotion is a tool used to help people identify how they feel. In the center are big categories of emotions, like Happy, Sad, Angry, etc. In the next two layers out from center are additional words that might be used to express those emotions. It’s a great tool for helping grow in emotional intelligence and often used in therapy or counseling.
It is interesting, however, that in a Wheel of Emotions, love is not identified as a feeling. I would have thought that it would be one of the “Big Feelings,” right in the middle. In some wheels, the word “loving” is used as an emotion as part of the Happy spectrum of feelings.
I think that feeling “loving” as an emotion means that it is fleeting and subject to our whims. When love is an action, it is not subject to the fanciful nature of emotion.
How do we love as an action? Jesus is a great guide to help understand love as an action. At the wedding in Cana, to which Jesus and his followers were invited, the multi-day party has run out of wine. Jesus’ mother asks him to intervene. Even though it appears that Jesus’ first response is that “it’s not my job” or perhaps “I’m not ready to start the miracles of my ministry yet,” Jesus sets aside any emotional response to lavishly gift his friends with abundant and quality wine.
Jesus acts in gracious, generous, creative ways which go beyond what just a good feeling of love provides.
And if you aren’t familiar with the Christian faith, Jesus goes so far beyond a feeling of love into the actions of love that he is willing to take on humanity’s sin to die for them. That is a powerful action of love that cannot be understood as mere feelings.
We, too, are invited to love as action. It transcends feelings, opinions, and biases. It transcends ways that we label ourselves … successful, failure, sibling, parent, Democrat, or Republican. When love is seen as action, and particularly when following Jesus’ example, it is offered to all.
I had the privilege to attend a City Council meeting, and what I noticed is that every person serving in a position there loves Luverne and is willing to show up and love with action.
When I’ve volunteered in the community, I see people who love our citizens and offer the actions of love … free meals, free food, grants for mental health care, AA meetings, utility assistance, immigration support. It goes on and on. But ultimately, this is the kind of love that makes a community stronger.
The love of Christ, through his life, death, and resurrection was not about good feeling. It was about showing up with love to teach, preach, heal for the sake of his neighbor so that all could know the good news of God’s wild and abundant love for all God has created.
I encourage each of you to go forth in the way that Jesus does, in God’s love, as you act in ways that are generous, merciful and gracious.
