Love All 

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7

Now that we are in the midst of the Wimbledon fortnight, I thought back on my own tennis career. I only ever played tennis at school - and I was always rubbish. In my defence, I put this down to the fact that my eyesight was poor, at that time I didn’t have glasses. I couldn’t see the ball whizzing towards me over the net until it was way too late to react effectively. Hearing my opponent’s score ratcheting up through games and sets, while mine remained at ‘love’ was never fun. You can imagine how popular I was as a doubles partner…

So, why is the score of zero called ‘love’? Well, the theory goes that, those with no points are playing ‘for the love of the game’ despite their losing score. They haven’t given up or slung down their racket in anger or frustration but have kept going. Call me a softie, but I really like that idea that instead of the stark reality of a big round zero being awarded to a fellow sportsperson, they are instead given an encouraging ‘love’ that affirms their feelings for the game.

The bible tells us that God doesn’t keep the score when we don’t get things right, or think we’re rubbish because we make mistakes or aren’t good at things. We have a God who loved us first, who gave us Jesus and who calls us to respond in love to him.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.’
John 3:16-17

Prayer

Thank you that you are our creator God and that your love for us is beyond our understanding. Thank you that through Jesus you demonstrate your love, mercy and grace. Help us today, to live in your love for us and to share it with those around us.
Amen

Josephine Gasser on Unsplash