The Standard March 14, 2026
As we humans are prone to do, we can get mixed up in our understanding. Take the word “love,” for example. What does it entail? The most famous line from the popular 1970 movie Love Story says, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Writers of romantic films are generally given some latitude in scriptwriting, but this is a rather ridiculous statement. Love often requires expressing an apology, and many times this must be through words.
In our culture, there seems to have been a shift towards thinking that love involves only praise, celebration, agreement, and positivity, as opposed to any accountability, challenge, or correction. Rocky and I love our yellow lab, Chance. When he was a puppy, we used a crate to train him to go outside to relieve himself. Chance slept in the crate overnight, and once old enough was free to choose to go into the crate or to stay elsewhere. He actually opted to sleep in there a lot. What had been not his favorite place became somewhere he felt safe and secure.
In raising our children, we did not allow them to run into the street or to touch burners on the stove. We made sure they ate healthy foods, brushed their teeth, bathed, went to bed at a decent time, wore a seat belt, and got to church. We guided them in love, believing these were best practices for them to grow into the people God wanted them to be.
God’s love for us is exponentially greater than even the parent’s love for a child. We can’t truly grasp the magnitude. Matt Maher in his song “Run to the Father” has a terrific line related to this fact. “You saw my condition, had a plan from the start. Your Son for redemption, the price for my heart. I don’t have a context for that kind of love. I don’t understand; I can’t comprehend. All I know is I need you.”
God did not merely talk about love or have a general attitude of love, but showed us in action. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Although “obedience” is a bad word for some, it is key in Scripture. Most of us didn’t try to earn the love of our parents, but were glad to see them pleased with our behavior and choices. Even more so, we want to show our love for God, and appreciation for grace and mercy by obeying. It is what Jesus tells us to do.
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:15-17, 21
The Christian life should not be about serving self or acting on every desire. Love involves sacrifice, putting others before ourselves, and valuing what God values. Sometimes this means saying we’re sorry.
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