Pure Love

Last night we hosted a Bible study from our church. We were studying what it looks like practically to truly love God, and to love others likewise. Our group was very small, but I learned so much from those who shared their perceptions of love.

Two Basotho sisters in their early twenties came all the way across town to attend our study. These girls touched me deeply simply because they came. It had to have been very intimidating for them to come into our home, but they came nonetheless. These girls showed up with huge smiles and an openness I had not expected.

The elder sister shared with us how she has seen true love lived out in her own life. She has three sisters and a brother, who their mother took in. She told about how her mother had to work two jobs to provide for their family. The mom was a teacher by day and a store clerk by evening. Her mother would always come home very late at night, and and her daughter would wonder where she had been. She knew the store her mother worked at closed much earlier in the evening. Years later, the daughter discovered after closing up shop, her mother would go to the homes of children in her class, who had no parents. This mom would cook them papa, a Basotho staple, and settle them in for the night. After caring for the parentless she would return to her own children, exhausted.  

I was so touched by this girl’s sweet story of love being lived out in the Basotho culture. She went on to say what a great example her mother has been to them and how she taught them to put others above their own needs or desires. Three of the girls from this family are studying at university and have dreams for their futures. I cannot help but draw the correlation between the mothering they received and their counter cultural mindsets.

I woke up this Valentine’s Day morning reflecting on last night’s story. I could not help but be thankful to God for this fresh reminder of what true love looks like in a very practical way. This woman cared for others, hoping nobody else would notice. She did not do it for accolades or expecting a return on her investment. She just purely loved.