One night in New York, on Broadway, the great star Mary Martin was preparing to go on stage, as she had a 1000 times before, in Rodger & Hammerstein’s South Pacific.
Just before she took the stage a note was handed to her. The letter was signed Oscar Hammerstein who was on his deathbed that evening. The note was short. It simply said: “Dear Mary, A bell’s not a bell until you ring it. A song’s not a song until you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.”
When the play was over the cast rushed to her backstage and asked, “What happened? We’ve never seen you perform that way before?” Mary read to them Hammerstein’s note and said, “Tonight, I gave my love away.”
We can hear Jesus’ words to Peter in what Mary Martin said: “Peter do you love me? Feed my sheep.” Jesus was saying, “Peter you know the song. Sing it! Peter you’ve got the bell. Ring it! Peter, love isn’t love at all until you give it away.”
Thanks to Brett Blair
Think of a time and a place when YOU gave your love away! In doing so, how did you make yourself a better person and the world around you a better place to live?
