Love Isn't Optional

Communications Content Coordinator Lexie Trader shared this inspiring devotion at our staff meeting last week, and we couldn't keep it to ourselves. 

You may not have noticed lately, but the world is kind of on fire…at least it feels that way. 

Whether it’s the constant stream of headlines or the heaviness around us in our communities, sometimes it can feel like there’s just too much pain and division. Too much noise. 

When I start to spiral like this and feel hopeless, I’m reminded of a moment in Mark’s Gospel where someone asks Jesus what matters most. And Jesus doesn’t hesitate. 

“Love God,” he says, “with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. No commandment is greater than these.” 

He gives us not just one, but two answers. Love God. Love your neighbor. As if you can’t do one without the other. 

But “neighbor” doesn’t just mean the person next door. It’s not just the people who make us feel comfortable, or who see the world the same way we do. Jesus pushes us to think bigger. 

Our neighbor is the person we don’t understand. The person we disagree with. The person we’ve never had to notice, whose pain may feel far away, complicated, or messy. 

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus gets even more specific: our neighbor is anyone in need or suffering. Anyone the world pushes to the margins. 

If we take Jesus seriously, love isn’t optional. It’s not always sentimental or easy. It’s an action. A choice. A calling. 

Yes, love can be hard. It asks us to speak up. To care, even when it costs us something. 

But maybe love doesn’t have to start big. Maybe it starts with paying attention. Listening. Showing up. 

Jesus never asked us for tidy, convenient love. He asked for bold, brave love. A kind of love that doesn’t draw lines, but erases them. 

Amen.