Being married to a musician exposes me not only to music but also musical artifacts, such as a plaque hanging on our kitchen wall that has this inscription on it, “Life is a song and love is the music.”  It is true, isn’t it?  As a song without music is incomplete, so is life with no love in it.  It will be dry and lifeless.  When God commanded us to love, He had us in mind.  He needs no reminding to love because He is love; so, it’s for us.  We need reminding to love because God knew that without it, we would not live a full life as He intended it.

While he was making “ER” on the Warner Bros. lot in the early days of his career, George Clooney heard that Paul Newman was also there shooting a movie.  Being a young artist who had admired Paul Newman for a long time, he went to look for him.  He found him outside the soundstage smoking.  So, they talked and it was then that Newman gave him a piece of advice, “Don’t let them keep you inside.”  At the time he did not fully understand what Newman meant, but later after they became friends, he understood what Newman meant.  He was talking about not letting fame keep him from living his life.  Good advice not only for Clooney but us, too.

We may not be famous, so fame wouldn’t be a problem, but we may have other things that keep us from living our lives fully, such as fear of death, worry about the future or what others think of us.  All these keep us from living life fully, specifically, from loving God and others.  Fear of death and worry about the future keep us from loving God fully.  Worrying about what others think of us keeps us from loving others.  Don’t let this keep us inside!  We may feel safe but at a great cost.  We can only live fully if we love God and others. In case we are wondering what love is, let me quote C. S. Lewis’ definition, “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”  

Pastor Paul