Even if you don’t necessarily love New York, the odds are good that you or someone you know has one of those “I Love New York” mugs. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s actually something that I can explain fairly easily (which isn’t always easy for me when it comes to things like dishware). It’s a plain mug with “I” and then a heart. Then, under the I-heart is an N and a Y. Put all four symbols together, and it says, “I love New York.”
As a souvenir, the “I love New York” mug basically translates into, “When I went to New York City, I found it to be very lovable. I enjoyed it. I’m a fan. I’ll go back if I can.”
A few years back, I had a conversation with someone who had gone to New York City and bought the “I Love New York” mug. It’s quite different from the typical tourist story, and that’s why I think you’ll appreciate hearing the story. Her story has a lot to teach us about the meaning of the word love.
This family friend of ours was working as a surgical nurse in Minnesota. But because of COVID-19, elective surgeries were being put on hold. So she found herself getting paid but not really doing much work. In the meantime, she learned about a tremendous need for nurses in New York City. This was at the height of New York City’s COVID-19 troubles. She learned that Samaritan’s Purse had set up a field hospital and needed volunteers.
“As a souvenir, the ‘I love New York’ mug basically translates into, ‘When I went to New York City, I found it to be very lovable. I enjoyed it. I’m a fan. I’ll go back if I can.'”
She asked her boss if she could spend a couple weeks helping out in New York City and then return to her job when she was needed. The answer was no. She chose to go work in New York City anyway for no pay instead of continuing not to work for pay.
While in New York City, she worked with the field hospital for a couple weeks straight of twelve-hour shifts. Although most people appreciated the team’s work, there were also protests because of the biblical beliefs on sexuality held by Samaritan’s Purse leadership. After a couple weeks, the crisis abated, the field hospital closed, and our friend was able to go back home. Before she left for home, she decided to do one touristy thing. She bought an “I Love NY” mug and returned home without a job to go home to.
For a moment, you might try comparing the two mugs. They might look the same. They both say, “I Love NY.” But the one on the tourist’s shelf means, “I enjoyed it. I’m a fan. I’ll go back if I can.” And when the nurse’s mug says she loves the city, it means something emphatically more, doesn’t it?
“Before she left for home, she decided to do one touristy thing. She bought an ‘I Love NY’ mug and returned home without a job to go home to.”
One of the most important definitions you and I will need to figure out is what we mean when we use the everyday word “love.”
- When you say you love your spouse, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that you find your spouse lovable—or that you intentionally, sacrificially, unconditionally love your spouse?
- When you love your kids, does it rise or fall based on how much you enjoy their company at a given moment? Or is your love the kind that would give up money and make crazy sacrifices for their ultimate good?
- When you say you love your friends, do you love them insofar as you get to do fun things with them, or does love mean that you are willing to put in the long hours to truly help them—even when truth can hurt like surgery?
- When you say you love God, are you speaking as a tourist who has gotten to experience the exciting aspects of following God—or are you speaking as a faithful follower who will go wherever He calls—into the difficult, the thankless, the mundane?
Praise God that we already know which version of love He has for us. For even during the seasons that we know we can’t say we’ve been enjoyable, we can still say confidently that we’ve been well-loved through it all. Romans 5:8 (NIV) says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
