“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.”—Barabara de Angelis
“Extravagant love is never wasted”—Bob Goff
“Love is never wasted, for its value does not rest upon reciprocity” – C.S. Lewis
Love is something that we all crave and yet something we tend to be terrified to give. We are afraid to love people because they might not love us back, we are afraid to love hobbies because of what others might think, we are afraid to love ourselves because we don’t want to be narcissistic and selfish. What if we waste our love on someone or something and it doesn’t pan out? What if we use our love on something that turns out to be a waste of time?
The great thing is that love cannot be wasted. You won’t regret the amount of love you gave to something.
(Note, there is a difference between love and obsession. Obsession is about never having enough of that thing, of needing to own it, and possess it until it is the only thing you can think about. Love is about enjoyment, acceptance, being, and wanting for the sake of joy. Also, love is not about sacrificing your own well-being, health, or sanity for something or someone else. Love also includes loving yourself and taking care of yourself)
Love is infinite and it multiplies. As you love, that love grows and creates more love. You don’t have only a certain amount inside of you and once it’s gone, it’s gone. It is ongoing. It’s wonderful whether that love is given back or not. It’s one of the only things that blesses the person who receives and the person who gives it.
When we love something or someone, we get to tap into the eternal God who is love incarnate. As we learn to love extravagantly, we find that we connect to the heart of God in a new and different way, we begin to understand how God would send His only Son to die for us and how Jesus gladly went to the cross.
We begin to understand the beauty in sacrifice, vulnerability, and acceptance. True love is not predicated on being reciprocated, it is patience and kind, it isn’t dissatisfied or wants what others have, it doesn’t see itself as better than anyone else or lacking more than others, it is forgiving, “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor. 13:7).
Love is steady, constant, radical, terrifying, extravagant, and fulfilling; it calls us to something deeper, something greater.
Do not be afraid of love, for perfect love castes out fear. Love is always worth it, so when you can, choose love. When it’s hard, when it’s painful, when it causes you to be unbelievably vulnerable, choose love.