Love Experienced, Love Expressed

Many years ago, when Bret and I decided to get married, I recall people asking me about my love for him. I remember asking myself the questions “Why do I love him?” “How do I know this is love?” “How do I know this is love that will last?” I also recall never really coming up with a concrete or even an abstract answer. I’ve since learned, however, that love is experiential. As I’ve mentioned before, I believe that real love is more about action and less about feeling.


The ultimate, most definitive act of love occurred over 2,000 years ago when God sacrificed his son on the cross for our sins. I wonder, though, how many of proclaimed Christians have “experienced” Christ’s love. And for those of us who have, do we know the presence of Christ in our lives well enough to express it?

For me, my experiences are not limited to just a single moment. In fact, I have found that the more actively engaged I am in my walk with Him, the more frequently they occur. My experiences….may I be so bold as to call them encounters? My encounters have been both conspicuous and unremarkable. They’ve resulted from obedience; during moments of desperation; and sometimes, are so subtle that they are not realized until years after the fact.

Funny thing is, even the most profound of moments can be easily forgotten. We’d like to think we’ll never forget certain events, but we do. It takes reminders from people who’ve known me a long time for me to remember just how challenging my youth was. I wouldn’t say that I’ve unhealthily buried those memories; I just don’t dwell on them. I’ve wondered, sometimes, why it is that some people aren’t able to let go of such pasts? I can’t speak for others, but I know why I don’t have that problem. It’s because, when I do think about it, I recall vividly who got me through some of the most desperate moments of my life. Jesus. I clung to His promise, the hope that only He gave – and He delivered, BIG.

This Easter, I hope that the pageantry, the egg hunts, the feasts do not overshadow the reason for the celebration in your lives. I’d like to challenge you to express or share one of your experiences with at least one person, lost or found. Sharing it makes it real. Keep Jesus REAL in your life, because if He’s not real to you, he won’t be to those around you. And if you haven’t had the experience of personally meeting Christ yet, it is my prayer that you will.