THE FOOLISHNESS OF LOVE

Why God’s love does not make sense — and why that’s exactly the point.

 By Nicholas Uanikhoba

Why walking in God’s kind of love will make you look foolish — and why that’s the point.

By every modern standard, the kind of love God calls us to is, frankly, unreasonable.

We live in a culture that defines strength by independence, intelligence by cynicism, and love by reciprocity. If you give, you'd better get. If you serve, there should be applause. If you forgive, it had better not be more than once. So, when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, bless those who curse us, and lay our lives down for people who might never return the favour, it sounds absurd. Naive. Foolish.

But that’s exactly the point.

A Divine Kind of Madness

In 1 Corinthians 1, the apostle Paul unpacks how the message of the Cross — the centerpiece of the Christian faith — is utter foolishness to the watching world:

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God... Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Cor. 1:18, 25)

What could be more “foolish” than a God who dies for the very people who rejected Him? What could be more irrational than a Savior who washes the feet of His betrayer and asks forgiveness for those driving nails into His flesh?

Yet, as Paul reminds us in Romans 5:8:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The Cross is the ultimate act of divine love — not offered to the deserving, but to the defiant. Not extended when we were repentant, but when we were rebellious. That kind of love confounds human logic. It breaks the algorithm. It’s so beautifully foolish that it can only be divine.

Love That Looks Like Losing

Here's the uncomfortable truth for many of us: when you choose to walk in that kind of love, you will look like a fool. You’ll be misunderstood, taken advantage of, even ridiculed. The world might call you soft, weak, or naive. But what they won’t see—unless they’re looking with spiritual eyes—is that you're operating in the supernatural strength of God.

That’s not just poetic language. It’s reality. Every time you choose to forgive instead of retaliating, to serve instead of assert, to listen instead of lash out, you’re stepping out of your strength and into God’s.

Because God is love. And walking in love is walking with God.

Love in an Age of Offence

In today’s climate, love has never been more contested. We’re quick to cancel, quicker to defend ourselves, and slow to extend grace. Social media thrives on outrage and hot takes. Relationships break over politics, ideologies, or one careless post. And amid this noise, the voice of Jesus still whispers, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

But that love may cost you your pride. It may cost you comfort. It may mean being silent when you want to speak or speaking the truth when silence would be easier. It may mean serving those who can never repay you. Loving those who can’t love you.

It may look like foolishness.

But in God’s Kingdom, that’s the kind of foolishness that changes the world.

The Secret Power of God’s Love

The beautiful irony is this: the very love that looks like weakness is the strongest force in the universe. The Cross wasn’t a symbol of defeat. It was the place where sin was crushed, death was destroyed, and the power of hell was undone. And it happened through love.

That is why Paul says that the Cross — and the love it represents — is “the power of God.” Not a metaphor. Not an abstract idea. Real power. Power to save. Power to transform hearts. Power to heal what nothing else can.

And here’s the good news: that same power is available to you every time you choose to love like Christ.

Don’t Be Afraid to Look Foolish

So let them call it foolish. Let them misunderstand. Let them mock it if they must. Because every time you choose to love, you’re stepping into the very nature of God. You’re echoing the Gospel. You’re joining the ranks of saints and martyrs and everyday believers who dared to love boldly, irrationally, eternally.

Love never fails. And it will not fail you.

So, walk in love — even if it makes you look like a fool.

You will be in the best company with God.