The LOVE--->SERVICE cycle.

Have you ever wondered why a diligent parent has an almost unnatural love for their child? Modern relationship theory would tell us that in a relationship, there is a give-and-take exchange. You love people because they help you, others love you because you help them.

This is certainly true. But how can it be true, for instance, in the case of a mother with a newborn baby? The mother spends a great deal of time doing miserable task for the baby: birthing it, feeding it, waking up at 3:00 to change the squalling infant's diaper, etc, etc.

So then why is the love of a mother for her newborn child supernaturally strong? There is no reciprocity in this relationship. The infant does not meet any of the mother's needs, and does not love the mother. Indeed, the infant probably doesn't even realize for the first few weeks that the mother even exists as a separate, individual life-form.

This is due to what I would like to call the LOVE--->SERVICE cycle.

The love/service cycle is simple: When we love somebody, we serve them. When we serve them, our love grows stronger. When our love grows stronger we serve them more intensely.... and it goes on and on.

We see this cycle in relationships, in communities, and even on a national scale.

This is real, Christ-like love. We don't love and give because we want something in return. We give because we love, and then we love all the more for the giving.