Do not owe people anything, except always owe love to each other, because the person who loves others has obeyed all the law. Romans 13:8

Our society appears to have a double standard of debt. In general, we don’t might accruing debt for material gain. We owe on houses, cars, education, credit cards…and the list goes on. But to owe someone love? Forget it! We’re much to proud to owe someone love. After all, we think our love is our love – to keep or give away.

Perhaps when we owe on material things, we don’t feel like we’re indebted to an actual person. It’s easy to think of our debts as corporate. We slide the card, sign the paper, receive a bill, make a payment – rarely interacting with a person along the way, and if we do, we likely identify them as part of a large, faceless company.

When we owe love…well, now it’s personal. If we owe someone love, doesn’t it indicate we’re not in control?

Yes, owing love means you’re not in control. You’re also not a pawn or a victim. You still have a choice. You don’t have to love. Your choice to love is a choice of obedience.

Obedience to love isn’t convenient. It takes time, effort, and sacrifice.

The odd thing is that when we’re indebted to loving others, we can never fully pay our debt. And yet when we consistently love others, we’re more loving. We’re getting more of exactly what our debt is.

How’s your debt of love?