One day my friend met a young woman and decided to share the good news with her. As he communicated with his new acquaintance and her mother, he asked God for wisdom from above so that he might reveal the beauty of God’s character and the plan of salvation. As a result, these people decided to enter into a covenant with God. My friend became so attached to the young woman that he began showing her special attention. He helped her in every way he could without expressing his feelings aloud. But he told us how captivated he was by the inner beauty of his new acquaintance, shared her songs with us, and spoke of how much he loved her. As a result of this friendship, the whole church was preparing for a wedding and already anticipating the creation of a new family. Everyone except the young woman herself understood perfectly well where this friendship was leading. When my friend introduced us, I asked her whether she knew that my friend loved her. She replied in surprise that he said nothing about it and that much in his behaviour was very unclear to her.
A short time later, a young man who had trained to be a pastor learned that there was an interesting sister in this church who possessed the gift of singing and could assist him in his ministry. He bought a bouquet of flowers, came to the city, and went to this very young woman, asking her to become his wife. She was delighted that he valued her so highly and gave her consent. My friend was not prepared for this turn of events and tried to clarify their relationship in a conversation with his friend. She told him that she had known nothing of his plans, and that she had now made her choice and could not change it. A couple of weeks later, the new friend and the young woman celebrated their wedding and became a new family. And my acquaintance preached at their wedding, giving them counsel and good wishes.
God has endowed human beings with a special gift—intuition. This quality of the soul helps us foresee certain situations that logically follow from the available facts. Women are especially developed in this respect.
But our world is very diverse, and human foolishness can be highly unpredictable. Sometimes, as you observe a person’s behaviour, you understand his motive and see what should happen, yet in the end everything turns out quite differently.
Conjectures are sometimes useful, but they can misrepresent a person and his motives. And if I put these assumptions into words according to my understanding, they will probably become gossip that destroys a person’s reputation before he reveals himself in his true light.
Love is not at all opposed to being expressed aloud. Doing this for the first time can be very difficult. I even know families in which spouses never speak to one another of love and live that way all their lives, believing that deeds are better than words.
A word of love that has not left my lips cannot become a seed that bears good fruit. It will remain stored in my heart, and no one will ever know my true feelings and the motives that move me. My words reveal my inner world to those who hear and give me the opportunity to express aloud that which abides abundantly in my heart.
Let us consider this example. A multimillionaire decided to conduct an experiment by observing me and my behaviour. Every day he gave me 50,000 dollars, expecting me to invest it wisely in something. If I did not do so, the millionaire would take everything back. At first I was bewildered, and then I began to think. The money was arriving in my account every morning. Because of my modesty, I did not dare take the first step. What if something went wrong, since such wealth had been entrusted to me? Meanwhile, the capital was multiplying each day. There were two paths: to save it or to begin investing it. And so I dared to make a purchase. The first thing I needed was, of course, a car—and the finest one. Then came an apartment in an exclusive neighbourhood, followed by a house with every convenience; next, I needed to acquire a yacht. And soon there were not enough funds to satisfy my greed. It is difficult to keep such capital secret.
But I could have taken the path of charity and begun helping poor people. As a result, the money would likewise have become insufficient, while the number of poor people would not have diminished.
I decided to save. A week, a month, and a year passed. I rejoiced that I had gone from being wealthy to being very wealthy. I was already planning projects worth millions. But one fine morning, I received a letter from the bank stating that all my funds had been recalled by their giver and that people would come to take an inventory of my property. I understood that I had missed something and had failed to act in time, but I could no longer change anything. The conditions had been violated, and I lost even what I had possessed.
The Lord has prepared for me a treasure more valuable than the riches of this world. With the heavenly currency called ‘love,’ I can purchase trust, love in return, happy faces, and open hearts. I become the owner of the finest relationships in the world. But there is only one condition: I must spend this capital. Every morning a large sum of love comes into my account, and I need wisdom to invest it properly. The Multi-love-ionaire carefully watches how I manage this treasure. He records all my expenditures. He is willing to increase this deposit according to my needs. He also gives wisdom and teaches me which investments are best to make. I am learning to spend love. It turns out that this is not so simple. Not everyone wants to accept it as payment, and it makes many people very angry.
But what I can do freely and without hindrance is speak about how rich I am and let people understand that I can share these treasures with them throughout their lives.
Words of love possess a special power whose magnitude is unknown to me. Several times I have personally experienced the influence of these words coming from pure lips. It was something incredibly beautiful. Such a ‘brain explosion’ took place that nothing could ever be restored to the way it had been. The very awareness that someone loved me and told me so changed my entire life and my views. I began to understand that I was so precious to someone that he was willing to love me throughout his life. This is probably the most pleasant incurable wound.
But I immediately began thinking that if this affects me in such a way, it can also affect others through me. I decided to try. But I would not merely say it; first I would prepare myself for a lifelong benevolent attitude, and then declare it. I took the step. It worked. Everything I experienced, my friends now experience. Not everyone wants to believe that it is so simple and forever, but in time they resign themselves to this lot and begin making use of what they have. What else can they do?
Words of love are like good seed. Thorny cacti do not grow from them. They produce in people that of which they themselves consist. And if this seed falls into good and proper soil, it will bear very much fruit. The seed of love is transformed into a tree that brings forth its fruit in its season.
But at first courage is needed to take the first step, and then wisdom is needed to care for what has been sown.
I am always gladdened by the beautiful fruits I can gather from what I have sown. Other people receive something as well. What a miracle it is to love and to say so in words. It is so joyful and beneficial! And it must certainly be done, or people will not understand.
Homework 121
What interesting things did you take from this lesson for yourself? Why do you think we must express our good feelings aloud? What will happen if I hide this gift bestowed by Heaven? Why do we so greatly need courage and wisdom? How can we avoid falling into a trap by misinterpreting the words and actions of other people? What will we reap if we sow love? Please read Colossians 3:12, 17; Galatians 6:7–9; 1 John 3:18; Romans 10:9–10; Matthew 7:1–2; 12:34; John 3:11–13; and Luke 6:44–45 in the light of our lesson.