The Love Box

Years ago, someone gave me one of the most memorable gifts I have ever received. It was a small brass box filled with brightly colored loose papers. The very top one said, “l love you today because….” The papers beneath were empty. I received the gift at a time when there was a lot of pain in our home. It was given at a time when my family was simply not in unity. With the box, we were given instructions on how to use it. Each day, we were to write out a message of love to someone in the family beginning with the statement, “I love you today because…”. We were then to hide the note where the person would find it at some point in the day. Over the next two weeks, I personally found love notes in my lunch, on the dashboard of my car, under my pillow, etc. and the messages were beautiful! I watched the atmosphere shift in my home as love took over and we began to celebrate each other for our differences. I adored receiving my own messages of love, but the thing that moved my heart the most was seeing my girls leaving notes for each other and loving each other in ways that took me by surprise!

I love how God knows exactly what we need for different seasons we find ourselves in! A simple little box, with a challenge to love, changed everything in our home at a time when we were divided! To me, this season in our world feels similar-not necessarily in my home, but across the body of Christ. I believe that this is a time when God is calling for a greater level of unity. It is time for the children of God to come together and stop hurting our Father’s heart! It is time for the body to become family again. This is the first time the entire world has gone through the very same thing and we are still going through it. I believe now is the time to put aside our differences in denominations, in theology, and come together for His greater purpose!

God has given us a Love Box. It’s called His Word and it is FULL of love letters. In John 17:22-23, Jesus says “I have given them the glory that You gave me, that they may be one as we are one, I in them and You in me so that they may be brought in complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me.”

Isn’t that our prayer? That the world would know Him and His love in the way we have to know Him and His love? They will know that we are Christians by our love and they will want to experience that for themselves when they see us love one another. I believe that a greater level of revival will come when we let go of being offended by our differences and step into celebrating that we are all in His family!

Is there someone in the body who has offended you whom you need to forgive? Are you carrying hurt over something that may have happened with another church? Whatever the situation, if you find yourself carrying hurt and offense, ask God to give you His heart for those who caused you pain and then let go of the hurt and give it to Him.

We have been crying out for revival to come and with what the Father wants to bring, it is going to take all of us to do the work. We are Family!