Unconditional love” is a near-cliché. People use those words as if it happens rather naturally. But, that is the kind of love that our dog of the past 14 years offered. Buddy died last night and as I was saying goodbye, I was overcome by how much unconditional love he showed us. No matter what day we had, or what mood we were in, he always loved you.
In actual practice that kind of love comes easily for God and Cocker Spaniels, and very grudgingly for human beings. Our love comes with a lot of conditions, a lot of strings. It doesn’t mean we’re bad people, it just means we’re human. We know our parents love us, but they love us more when we visit more often. Same with husbands and wives. There’s a baseline love, but more can be earned in all the ways we know.
Yet the one thing every soul seeks is simply that unconditional love, where there is nothing to be earned. So, last night I honored that kind of love. And I wonder whether we have outsourced our love needs to animals because we disconnected ourselves from that kind of love from God.
Perhaps the best thing we can do is to recognize how hard it is to offer unconditional love.
Selfless love—agape, Jesus called it—doesn’t come naturally. It takes work, practice, and a lot of grace. The only beings who naturally offer unconditional love are either God or a dog. Today, I'm grateful for both.
Pastor Wesley
In actual practice that kind of love comes easily for God and Cocker Spaniels, and very grudgingly for human beings. Our love comes with a lot of conditions, a lot of strings. It doesn’t mean we’re bad people, it just means we’re human. We know our parents love us, but they love us more when we visit more often. Same with husbands and wives. There’s a baseline love, but more can be earned in all the ways we know.
Yet the one thing every soul seeks is simply that unconditional love, where there is nothing to be earned. So, last night I honored that kind of love. And I wonder whether we have outsourced our love needs to animals because we disconnected ourselves from that kind of love from God.
Perhaps the best thing we can do is to recognize how hard it is to offer unconditional love.
Selfless love—agape, Jesus called it—doesn’t come naturally. It takes work, practice, and a lot of grace. The only beings who naturally offer unconditional love are either God or a dog. Today, I'm grateful for both.
Pastor Wesley