fdtappan's Blog

Since the inception of the Internet, the word virus has taken on a whole new meaning to anyone with a computer. Of all the viruses that have been created and deployed through the Internet, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the number of machines it has infected and the cost to repair its damage. A spokesperson from the Lloyds of London insurance syndicate estimated that at least 10 percent of all computers in the world were infected with this virus. Care to take a guess what it is? That’s right, the “I love you” virus!

Despite the best antivirus software, the “I love you” virus first appeared in China in the early spring of 2000 and quickly spread across the entire world in a matter of days. What’s extraordinary about this particular virus is that it was not much different from other viruses, such as the “Melissa” virus, which appeared just one year prior. Both viruses were distributed and functioned almost identically through an e-mail from a trusted friend. The recipient would be asked to open an attachment which unknowingly contained the virus.

So then why would the “I love you” virus infect and cause more damage than any other previous virus? Possibly because the words “I love you” are some of the most powerful words in the world. And when these words appear in the subject line of an e-mail sent by a friend or family member, we are compelled to open that e-mail. Even despite headline news warnings of the “I love you” virus, people across the world could not resist the temptation to find out if someone had sent them a love note.

Hearing the words “I love you” has a powerful attraction. And when “I love you” is backed up with action, it is super-powerful. God tells us throughout the Bible that he loves us, and then he backs up those words with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Our lives are to be lives of love, where we don’t hesitate to say “I love you” to the people we love and then make it count with our actions.