In 1967 John Lennon penned a song that was, at the same time, both wonderful and terrible. All You Need is Love topped the American and British charts that summer, and reflected a deeply felt idea that if we would just love each other, all would be well. It is a wonderful idea because it reflects the words of Christ when he told the pharisees that ultimately there were only two important laws, to love God and love our neighbors (not to mention Paul's words that "the greatest of these is love"). But it is a terrible song because it makes it sound as if it were easy! In fact, each verse ends with the cheery lyrics, "it's easy." The problem is, we all know it's not. If it were, the world would be a different place. If it were, Christians would be better at it. If it were, then we would be able to love our enemies (and even those who have different political views). And don't forget, Jesus told us to do that too.
But what does love have to do with Every Child Ministries? Everything, to be honest. Maybe you give financially because you get a tax deduction, but I doubt it. Maybe you give because it makes you feel good, but I doubt that's the main reason. Maybe you give out of obligation, or because everyone else is doing it, but I think it's much more than that. At the very core of our giving is, and must be, love for others. Jesus prayed that our love for each other would be the "selling point" of Christianity, the intangible that made others receptive to the Gospel. It is our love that brings hope and healing to a desperate world. It is our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the lost that makes us stand out in the crowd. Not our rules and laws, our morality, our obedience, or our wealth and power. But our love. And so it is both beautifully simple and terribly complex.
May love motivate you to respond - a love that comes from a deep gratitude for what God has done for you. May it persuade you, more than any crafty development officer or slick website, to help others by giving of the resources God has blessed you with. So, after all, I guess it it is true. All you really need is love.
