Love not shown cuts deep. And maybe worse than open hate, as it unintentionally communicates indifference or our lack of care. And while our neglect is rarely intentional, omissions of love still bring pain.
We’re careful not to be unkind or criticizing. And in this respect we are good guys – never intentionally seeking to hurt others with our words or actions.
But even as we avoid offenses of commission, much harm is often done by our offenses of omission.
What we don’t do matters.
It’s not enough to simply avoid doing the bad if we don’t also do the good.
For instance, when we become so preoccupied with our own world that we forget to care for those around us, we’ve neglected our duty of love.
And this neglect brings harm even if we’ve not done anything to directly offend.
Sometimes this is hard to see because we’ve not “done anything.”
But this is exactly the point – our omission of love is the offense.
There’s no expectation for us to perfectly care for every need of others or to remember every detail important to them.
At the same time, our growth demands that we consider ways in which we fail to love both through our actions and inactions.
True goodness depends on the presence of the positive and not just the absence of the negative.
By all means, avoid hurting others through direct actions of offense. But remember also not to bring harm through your mindless omission of love.
Let your love be palpable and without question or doubt.
Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash
