LIVING ROOM MEMORIES  60 

(April 12, 2007)

Psychiatrist Harold Koenig, in his book, New Light on Depression, wrote: “Love – unconditional love – is the ultimate long-term antidote for depression, for at its core love is connected with faith and hope.”

I’ve liked that statement ever since I first read it. I have found out how important it is to have the love and support of my friends when I go through hard times. What I haven’t always thought of is that giving love is just as important. It’s when we give that we stop being victims. When we give we gather strength and renewed hope.

Love means everything to our well-being. It is the very food of life. We can withstand a lot if we know we are loved and prayed for. And if receiving love helps us survive, then giving love helps us thrive. The Bible says that God does not simply love us, he IS love. No wonder love is so important to us.

In his book, Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus writes: “Love is ever expanding. Love always grows, not just deeper, but wider. Love always loves people more and always loves more people. Love calls us to community; love calls us to humanity; love calls us to each other…It was no one less than Jesus who said the proof of God is found in our love for one another.”