They are some of the most powerful words known to man: I love you. There is so much in these words that it is impossible to fully explain what saying, "I love you" means.
We say, "I love you" to people when they mean a lot to us. We say it to friends, to family members and to our significant others. These three words are some of the most loaded words there are. Which is why I choose not to say I love you very often. In fact, I think we should stop saying, "I love you."
People say, "I love you" so much that the words mean nothing when they are spoken. The words were not meant to be spoken; they were meant to be shown.
Love is a verb. Love is meant to be acted out. We cannot just say, "I love you"—we need to show it. People believe that saying, "I love you" is enough, but that is a lie. In order to truly love someone, we need to act on it and do something for the person we are saying we love. Love is empty when it is only spoken.
One of the most powerful stories of love is found in the Bible. In Luke 10, we hear Jesus tell a parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable, we see a man who is attacked by robbers and left to die alongside the road. Two men pass this man who was robbed before a Samaritan shows up. The Samaritan was an outsider, but he saw that this man needed love, so he showed him love. Not once in the parable does the Samaritan say, "I love you," but he shows it in a way that embodies exactly what love is.
Love is crawling into the ditch and helping someone out of it. Never are we told to say, "I love you," but we are always told to show our love. We can't love people if we are standing on the road. No matter how loud we yell, "I love you" at someone, they will never hear it unless we act on it. Love calls us to get down to where the people are. Love requires us to get dirty, messy. Love calls us to do whatever it takes to help out those in need.
Love isn't always dirty, but love is always an action. We cannot simply say, "I love you" and then fail to do anything else. I have friends that are very close to me. Although I rarely tell them I love them, I constantly show them. I tell them that they can call me anytime and I will answer and do whatever I can to help. Sometimes this looks like me taking them out for coffee or a milkshake; other times, it looks like watching a movie together or staying up late talking on the phone. But it always looks like something. When I love someone I show it.
That is why I rarely say I love you. I do not believe we can love people by saying it. We love people by showing it, by doing something.
I think we need to do more of this. I think we as people need to say these words less, and instead show them more. We should show our love through actions.
In a world where love is lacking, let us all do our part and love those around us. Love is a verb—show it.
