“I am writing to remind you, dear friends,[a] that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.” (2 John 1:5-7).
I had just stopped by the local grocery store to pick up a few items. The small store was almost empty and only one cashier was working. I pulled up to her aisle and waited while the guy in front of me was unloading a full cart of food. I was in no hurry so I relaxed while she rang him up. He put all the bagged groceries back into his shopping cart and was about to leave when he asked if he could push the cart up to his apartment a quarter mile away, unload it, and bring back the cart. The cashier was new and wasn’t sure what to do. I spoke up then and said that I’d be happy to give him a lift back home.
Outside we loaded his groceries in my trunk and talked on the short trip to his place. He was new in town having just moved here recently. And like all of us he was feeling the squeeze of the high cost of living. I nodded knowingly and helped him unpack the trunk before pulling out and heading home. I thought to myself too: “The cost of living keeps going up, but at least the cost of loving has stayed the same.”
That is the funny thing about the cost of loving. It really doesn’t cost us anything at all. You would think if you spent your love on helping your family, your neighbors, your friends, and even the strangers you meet that sooner or later your love would run low. Sooner or later your heart like your wallet would be empty. Thankfully, Love doesn’t work like that. God in His wisdom fills us full to overflowing with His Love. And when we share our love it doesn’t diminish. Instead, we find that we have even more love to share.
What a glorious thing Love is! It costs us nothing. And every time we give it away it pays us back even more. In truth, it is what makes life worth living. Fill your days with love then. Fill your heart with love. And always remember that the most priceless thing on earth is FREE.
Joseph J. Mazzella
