Expressions of Love

There is an old saying that goes “things happen in threes”. I’m not sure where that saying comes from, but it popped into my head while I was relaxing on the beach this weekend, reading a book called, “The Shack”.

The Shack is a story about a man trying to come overcome feelings of guilt when his young daughter is brutally murdered. But in reality, it’s more of an inspirational story about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and how all three members of this holy trinity interact with us.  I hate to admit it, but I don’t completely understand how the holy trinity works because how can God be three different beings? But then again, there are a lot of things in this world I don’t understand, like politics, taxes, and women for example.

But as I pondered the idea of things happening in threes, I realized something. There is a common thread that runs through the holy trinity. That common thread of course is… love! God created love, Jesus taught us how to love, and the Holy Spirit is the essence of love. So love should obviously be the guiding force in our lives. But that realization brought another question to mind. If love is supposed to be our guiding force, what’s the best way for us to express our love?  

Well, sometimes when I’m struggling with a question, I go for a walk to clear my head. In less than 15 minutes, my journey yesterday quickly turned up three awesome but very different examples of expressions of love. Hey, maybe things really do happen in threes!

A caring woman takes time to converse with a homeless man.

A father takes his daily walk along Beach Road with his crippled son.

A man carries his very old and very sick, but very good friend for a final walk along the beach.

A man is not where he lives, but where he loves.

~ Ancient Latin Proverb