By: The Rev. Cathie P. Young

“Come on, children,” my mother would say, “Just love each other.” That’s when she would make dissenting siblings give each other a hug. And with that token hug came healing from a recent spat and sometimes, even a flood of love and laughter. Then she would say, “Now, isn’t that better?” And oddly enough, it was!

The season of Easter is all about love – the love of God for us expressed fully in the death and resurrection of Jesus and the love we are to have for Him and for others. Jesus told his disciples in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” And the apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, taught his spiritual children, “By this we know that we love … when we love God and obey his commandments.” (1 John 5:2)

Like my mother when I was young, God tells us to love one another. But He doesn’t ask for a token hug to demonstrate that love. Instead, if we are to demonstrate love, He demands obedience to His commands. Among the greatest of those commands is to honor life (Ex. 20:13). In the culture of death in which we live today, honoring life is a bold demonstration of our love for God and for all whom He has made!

Praying at a Planned Parenthood site, marching in a Walk for Life, or standing at a bedside helping a family make godly decisions for their dying loved one – they may all seem small efforts, token examples of our love for God and people. But in truth, they are each a display of our obedience to the command to honor life. “Isn’t that better?” I can still hear my mother say. Yes, mom, much better.