Love is Worth the Risk

Scripture (1 John 4:18-19, CSB):

"There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us."

Devotional:

A conversation at church made me realize something about myself this week. People around me tell me they love me all the time. My church family says it, my coworkers say it, my bosses’ family says it every weekend, and every time, my heart gets scared.

Not because the words make me uncomfortable. Not because I don’t love them back. Because somewhere deep inside, I’ve believed that everyone I love will eventually deceive me… or die. I didn’t even realize those words were still living in my heart until I finally said them out loud.

For years, I thought I struggled with receiving love. Maybe the deeper truth was that I was afraid of losing it. Growing up, I had a hard time believing my Heavenly Father loved me because my earthly father didn’t show me the love every child longs for. I found myself asking questions I didn’t even know I was asking.

“If my own father didn’t love me, why would God?”

Those questions sent me searching. I’m an accountant, so I wanted facts. I didn’t want blind faith, I wanted evidence.

I studied Scripture, history, fulfilled prophecy, and teachers like Chuck Missler and Lee Strobel because I needed to know whether Jesus could truly be trusted. What I discovered surprised me. The more I searched for answers… the more I found a Savior.

The facts convinced my mind; Jesus healed my heart.

Years ago, after my divorce, I sat down at an ambigram generator to design a tattoo. At first, I thought about using my daughter’s name, but I already had her name tattooed on my shoulder, so I asked myself another question.

“What goes with love?”

Without hesitation, one word came to mind.

Pain.

At that point in my life, I truly believed that love was pain. So I created an ambigram that reads LOVE one way and PAIN when you turn it upside down. To this day, I’ll occasionally see that design online or tattooed on someone else, and it still amazes me that something I created spread so far.

But what amazes me even more is what Jesus has taught me since then.

Today I don’t believe love is pain. I believe real love is willing to endure pain. That’s exactly what Jesus did on the cross. The cross didn’t teach me that love and pain are the same thing. The cross taught me that love willingly suffers so someone else can live.

That’s the kind of love Jesus has for us. Today I serve on the Welcome Team at church. People ask me why I enjoy greeting complete strangers. The answer is simple. I remember my first Thursday.

I remember walking through those doors hoping someone would smile at me. Hoping someone would make me feel like I belonged. So now I stand at those same doors hoping someone else experiences what I did. I love people before I even know their names.

Not because I’m naturally good at loving. But because Jesus loved me before I truly knew Him. Every smile… Every “Good morning…” Every “We’re so glad you’re here…” Every “Have a blessed week…” Is my small way of reminding someone, “You belong here.”

Do I still get scared of losing the people God has placed in my life? Absolutely. But then I remember something else. When my dog, Sancho, died, I thought a piece of my heart died with him. The very next day, God gave me Sweet Pea.

He wasn’t replacing Sancho. He was reminding me that while loss is part of this life… His provision is too. Love is always a risk! People may disappoint us, people may leave us, but one day, people we cherish will pass away, but that doesn’t mean we stop loving.

The greatest love the world has ever known looked straight at the cross…

…and loved anyway. Today, I’m learning that fear doesn’t have to make my decisions. Jesus does. Maybe that’s what He’s been teaching me all along. Not simply how to love others…

... but how to trust Love Himself!!

Questions to consider:

1. Have past hurts caused me to expect loss instead of receiving the love God is placing in my life today?

2. Is there someone God has placed in my life that I need to appreciate today instead of worrying about tomorrow?

3. How can I intentionally reflect the love of Christ this week by making someone feel seen, welcomed, and valued?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving me before I ever understood what real love looked like. Thank You for patiently healing the places in my heart that still expect betrayal, rejection, or loss. Help me to receive the love You are placing around me without allowing fear to steal the joy of today. Teach me to trust You with the people You’ve entrusted to my life.

Thank You for reminding me that even though this world is filled with loss, it is also filled with Your faithfulness and provision. Help me to greet people the way You greeted me—with kindness, compassion, and grace. May every smile, every conversation, and every act of love point someone closer to Jesus. And when fear whispers that love isn’t worth the risk, remind me of the cross. Because the cross proves that real love is willing to endure pain so that others might experience life. Thank You for never leaving me, never forsaking me, and never failing to love me.

In Jesus’ precious name,

Amen.