Several years ago a group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8-year-olds: “What does love mean?” Here’s a sample of some of their answers.

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when he got arthritis too. That’s love.” Rebecca, age 8

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl, age 5

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure it tastes okay.” Danny, age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica, age 8.

I don’t think the Apostle John would disagree with that last one. I think he would say, “That’s fine as far as it goes. The trouble is it doesn’t go far enough. For those who are being changed by God, words of love are not enough – even if you say them a lot.”