Today, I'm going to focus on a quote by Amy Carmichael. It says, "You give without loving, but you can never love without giving."
Amy Carmichael was a twentieth century Irish missionary to India. She founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, an orphanage devoted to saving temple children. Through her orphanage, she saved the lives of countless children, loving each and every one of them. Amy truly knew the meaning of love.
It's so easy for us to give without loving. How many times have you given a gift to someone without really caring about that person? It's easy to give and not even think about what you're giving or who you're giving it to. How many times have you grudgingly given time? Time is easy to give without loving.
But you can't love without giving. In a relationship, two people cannot love each other without giving something. It doesn't matter what sort of relationship it is. It could be a parent-child relationship, a sibling relationship, a best friends relationship, a boss-employee relationship.
A parent gives love and guidance to a child and the child returns with love and obedience. A sibling gives love and respect to their sibling, and in return they recieve the same. A best friend gives friendship and devotion and in return gets the same. A boss gives respect and directions, and return an employee gives respect and follows the instruction.
Amy Carmichael gave her life, her all for her children. She bent over backwards to help them. How often do we do that? How often do we give everything to help someone? Not many people throw their whole self into even a small task.
But I want to challenge you. How do you love the people around you? Is it grudgingly or generously?
