The elders discussed what they could do. The oldest medicine man told of a prophecy of a day when a sickness would kill their men and that the only way to stop it was if a pure and innocent daughter of a chief would willingly give up her life for her people. In order to fulfill the prophecy, she must voluntarily climb the cliff above the river and then jump to her death on the rocks below.

Dozens of young women were brought before the council, but it was decided that it was too great of a sacrifice to ask, especially for a legend they weren’t sure was true. The young warrior prince became sick. The princess knew something had to be done. One night she climbed the cliff overlooking the river. After praying and giving herself to the Great Spirit, she fulfilled the prophecy by jumping without hesitation to her death. Suddenly all those who were sick in the village arose well and strong. When the people found her broken body at the base of the cliff, her grief-stricken father cried out to the Great Spirit asking that her sacrifice would always be remembered. At that moment, water began to fall from the place where she had jumped from. A fine mist fell slowly forming a beautiful pool at their feet.

Even thought it’s just a legend, many times legends are stories that teach a lesson. In his powerful and surprising book The Shack, William P. Young uses Multnomah Falls and its legend as the setting for his book. He explores the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” We can never come to grips with this question without understanding the love of God. The book reveals a great truth – love is a verb.

In I Corinthians 13 we are told what love is. But the gospels reveal love in action. To the religious, love is about words, semantics, rules, regulations, expectations, and responsibilities. To God love is all about relationships. God did more than describe love, He demonstrated love through His only begotten Son. Jesus cleansed the lepers, wept with the grieving, healed the sick, fed the hungry, washed dirty feet, raised the dead, and willingly died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

John, one of the original son’s of thunder, became known as the apostle of love. John wrote that if everything Jesus did while on earth were recorded in a book, there would not be enough books to contain all of his miracles and ministry. Yes, love is a verb. That love changed the life of John and multitudes of people down through the ages. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. In this the love of God is manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (I John 4:7-9 NKJV).

Love is relationship. Love is a verb. Have you experienced the love of God? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).