As a blogger, I try to always be on the lookout for something to write about. My hope is that whatever it is, at least one reader will find it interesting. Unfortunately, my observational antenna isn’t always tuned to the highest level of discernment I desire. This morning though, something came across my senses that stuck with me into the late afternoon. Thus, I had to write about it. I heard the phrase, “Love is a one-way street.” Mind you, I have always known this, but for some reason it resonated very loudly this morning.
As anyone reading this knows, living life has been adjusted in many ways since March of this year. One place where this has happened, leaving some people feeling a bit lost and disconnected is the church. Some members of local congregations have made the adjustment better, realizing that the church isn’t dependent upon a brick and mortar locations to conduct godly business. It’s the spiritual connection that keeps people and activities humming along well as God would have them. I’ve been blessed to be a member of a congregation that has been open to using social media in ways we had never considered before the curse of the Coronavirus pandemic. Older folks are utilizing Zoom, email, conference calling in degrees they felt improbable just a few months ago.
Please excuse the off-topic comments in the preceding paragraph; however, they do connect with the topic of this piece. I’m a Sunday school teacher, and our church has continued to have Sunday school even though we’re no longer meeting at the physical location. There are several classes, offering content and approaches for the diversity one could expect in a congregation of 1,200-plus people. My class meets using conference calling, other classes are using Zoom. Except for the members of my class not seeing each other, we feel a sense of connectivity just as strong as we did before the Coronavirus forced us to make changes.
This morning’s subject was, “The most excellent way”, with the text coming from I Corinthians 13: 1-13. If you’re not familiar with what’s discussed in these verses, let me give you a brief summary. There was a problem in the church at Corinth. People were giving far more value to the manifestation of Spiritual gifts, e.g., prophesying, interpreting mysteries and the like than demonstrating love (agape’ love, Godly love) to each other. The Apostle Paul was writing to make it clear to the members of the congregation that the love of Christ (sacrificial, unconditional, never-ending) had to be in the mix or all the miraculous things performed in the church didn’t matter, when all things are considered.
The class was being facilitated this morning by my co-teacher, who asked the question at one point: Is the love we’re studying about this morning a one-way street? We all knew the answer to that question, but I’m wondering why there was a brief pause before a response was offered. Christ died on the cross without any requirement that we demonstrate reciprocal acts of love. Of course, we can in no way do such, but He does expect us to show, as much as possible love as a one-way street, love requiring nothing in return.
Love as a one-way street is what our country, our world needs in over-flowing fashion right now. All of us going in the same direction. A prescription for a world never seen before.
I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.
oldblessedwordpresscom 
Without the scriptural background, I’ve been thinking the same precise thing. I made the virtual acquaintance of a man who works for Doctors w/o Borders. The horrors and suffering he contends with are unaccountable. I wish all humanity around this miraculous blue planet could just stop fighting and arguing about who is right and who is wrong or about how to do xyz. We need to just come together and do whatever it is each of us is capable of doing to make life better for our fellow humans and the animals we share a home with. If only.
LikeLike
Rangewriter, I notice you tend to qualify yourself as not having the Judea-Christian insight I sometimes write about. Please don’t take offense when I say that I think you have an inherently spiritual outlook on life. It comes across in your writing and your pictorial blogging. Your insight is often inline with most Biblical references I use in my blogging.
The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of the Creator. We have a body, a mind and a soul. Some refer to them as a memory, an intellect and a will. These three members of our being coincide with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Some of us are more aligned in our outlook with God, without religious orientation I think you fall within that category.
LikeLike
A thought-provoking post! “Love is a one-way street” also reminds me of Acts 20:35–“It is more blessed to give than receive.” Even if love is not returned for a loving good deed we might offer, God still blesses us with contentment for having done the right thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person