A lot forces in the world around us conspire to teach us that life is a zero-sum game: that there’s only so much to go around so that to give anything away results in you having less.

But God’s love is different.

Meant for Sharing

God’s love is something that,  like a birthday cake, is meant to be shared with others. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught: “Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.”

Put another way: love is not love unless it’s being shared. Shared between you and God. Shared between you and other people.

Only More Love

Unlike a birthday cake, however, when you spread it around and share with someone it doesn’t result you having less. With love you will never run out of slices. When you share it with others, it just results in there being more love! Sharing love with others only grows it.

Hence, this blessing from the Apostle Paul offered to the people of Thessalonica:  “May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow” (1 Thessalonians 3:12).