The Truth About Love

A young wife was taking an afternoon nap. After she woke up she told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?"

"You’ll know tonight" he replied.

That evening the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it - only to find a book entitled, "The Meaning of Dreams".

Guys, I wouldn’t recommend that course of action tomorrow on Valentine’s Day, but I will recommend "The Truth About Love" to you today.

There are a lot of myths about love floating around. The best way for us to expel these myths is to look at the most loving man who ever lived - Jesus.

We’re going to use the account of the Lord putting Himself in the place of a servant and washing the disciples’ feet to explode some myths about love.

1. MYTH #1: I MUST BE WORTHY OF LOVE TO BE LOVED.

This is perhaps the most warped myth about love. It goes something like this: "If I’m going to be loved I have to be beautiful, super-intelligent, or gifted, etc." Or, "I have to perform at a certain level of expectations in order to be worthy of being loved. I have to achieve to be loved."

That’s simply not true, but it’s no wonder a lot of people have swallowed this myth because of the way our culture treats imperfection. They treat "beautiful" people like they’re worthy of love while those of us who are just "average" are unworthy.

A current Christian song entitled "Mirror" identifies and dispels this myth at the same time. It’s a song by a trio of sisters called "Barlow Girl".

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, have I got it?

’Cause mirror you’ve always told me who I am.

I’m finding it’s not easy to be perfect.

So sorry you won’t define me. Sorry you don’t own me.

Who are you to tell me that I’m less than what I should be?

Who are you? Who are you?

I don’t need to listen to the list of things I should do.

I won’t try, I won’t try.

Mirror I am seeing a new reflection.

I’m looking into the eyes of He who made me.

And to Him I have beauty beyond compare.

I know He defines me.

You don’t define me, you don’t define me."

What an awesome message to the young ladies of America and to all of the rest of us as well. Our culture deceives a lot of people into thinking they have to be a perfect "ten" in order to be worthy of love. When we look in the mirror we have to be careful about interpreting what we see. Our reflection in glass does not show our true worthiness for being loved.

Our security shouldn’t come from our looks. Our significance shouldn’t come from our achievements.

No one exemplified the truth about love more than Jesus. Look at these first two Bible verses:

"1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed his disciples the full extent of his love. 2 It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus." (John 13:1-2 New Living Translation)

I don’t suppose we could think of anyone any more UNlovable than Judas - yet Christ loved him nonetheless. In verse 11 of John 13 the Bible says that Jesus knew that Judas was the one that would betray him.

What we need to see is - since Jesus loved Judas - then he certainly loves us! If Judas was worthy of love, then you and I are certainly worthy of love. In fact, you don’t have enough warts or blemishes or faults or failures for Him not to love you!

Before suffering and dying for us Jesus was going to show His disciples "the full extent of his love" - so He put Himself in the place of a servant and washed their feet. This included Judas! Jesus knew everything about Judas and yet - still He loved him!

Jesus knows everything about us and yet He still loves us too! His love for us is unconditional, while the world’s love for us can be expressed, "I love you unconditionally - on one condition."

Once again, the myth is: "I must be worthy of being loved." The truth is: you are loved not because you deserve it, but because God is love. You don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations (including your own when you look in the mirror) for God to love you. You are of great value to Him and you didn’t have to "be" anything, or "do" anything for this to happen.