It is not enough for us to talk about love, even to feel love. To be true to its own nature, love should be expressed. As E. Stanley Jones wisely said, "the word of love must become flesh in a specific deed of love".

Some people mistakenly identify love with duty. Yes, we may fulfill our duties in the spirit of love, but true love implies creativity. It searches for new opportunities, for new channels for its life-giving flow. Loving persons always go beyond their boundaries to bless others.

Creative love is inspired by the Spirit within every individual. As we carefully listen to that Spirit, we will be attracted to people and to situations where our help is needed, and where it will be mostly effective.

Spiritual guidance makes all the difference. We don't have to be smartest or most eloquent persons in the world to speak words of hope and comfort to those who know us. We don't have to be most skilled workers to assist those who trust us. There is an unique place in life for each of us, where our combination of abilities and personal character traits is indispensable. Creative love directs us to that particular place, because we cannot give our time, money, and energy equally to everyone.

It is often difficult for loving persons to say "no" when they are asked for help, even if they don't feel strong attraction to a particular case. As the result, they find themselves either burdened by promises and commitments, or battling with guilt.

While we can love everyone, we cannot - and should not - be committed to help everyone. This is not something to be guilty or sorry about. It we don't allow ourselves to be manipulated into doing things which aren't ours, we will be able to fully obey our spiritual guidance.

As we already said, creative love challenges us to rise above duty, to enlarge our sphere of influence. At the same time, creative love becomes a challenge to the one who receives it. It helps that person to rise above his or her pitiful condition.

There is a story in the Bible about a beggar at the gate of the temple (Acts 3:1-9), who had been crippled all his life. When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for money. At the first glance that was exactly what he needed. However, apostles looked deeper. They realized that this man needed wholeness. His deepest need was to rise to the new level of life where he could express his talents, to bless others through his work, and to receive adequate financial reward. Peter and John released the flow of love and life into his body, so he became well and strong.

Scott Peck wrote of love as the evolutionary power, and I am convinced that he is right:

"It is through love that we elevate ourselves. And it is through our love for others that we assist others to elevate themselves. Love, the extension of the self, is the very act of evolution. It is evolution in progress. The evolutionary force, present in all of life, manifests itself in mankind as human love. Among humanity love is the miraculous force that defies the natural law of entropy".