Shallow Love

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)

One of my favorite activities to do when I am blessed to go someplace tropical is snorkeling. Strap on the mask, put on some fins, don the snorkel, and I’m in the water checking out the marine life. I’ve been blessed to see hundreds of different types of fish, sting rays, sea turtles, eels, and even a nurse shark. There’s just something cool and calming about floating up on the sea while looking down at a very unique world.

Of course, getting distracted by what is happening below can often times lead to disaster if you don’t occasionally look up to see what’s going on. That was the case in Maui a few years ago. I was so busy watching two sea turtles eating algae off of rocks below me that I didn’t notice that the swells (the waves of the ocean) had picked up size and pace. All of a sudden, I felt myself being thrust forward toward the sea turtles. This is bad for many reasons. One of the main ones is that it is a federal crime to touch one, as they are an endangered species. So, I began furiously swimming against the current. Just then, the swells let up, and I rocketed in the direction I was kicking and found myself in very shallow water. Which was another issue. Beneath me was a coral reef. It’s also a federal crime to step on a reef. So, I tried may hardest to get away, but the swells came back and knocked me down into the reef. Those things are sharp! I ended up with cuts on my legs as a result. Luckily, I caught a break when the swells let up once more and I swam away from the reef into deeper water, then back to shore.

Getting caught in a loveless relationship (friends or otherwise) is like being caught in shallow water. When something goes wrong, you get hurt. You get cut. You get scars as you are slammed against the sharpness of harsh words or actions. Shallow love is no fun at all.

Peter had some wisdom on this topic, when he wrote, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” In other words, we need to show real love, we need to act love, we need to demonstrate love, we need to overflow love towards our friends and family. Our love can’t be shallow. Shallow love leads to hurts. Deep love helps protect us from the scars of life. It keeps us afloat.

So today, and every day, demonstrate deep love toward others.

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