….um…well, what is it? What is Love?
Despite the failures of all its off-brand competitors, cheap rip-offs, and misleading salesmen, Love is actually worth more than we are. It’s something we’ll never fully understand, and therefore, should never purposefully say its name without a hushed, precious reverence to the tone. The concept is jarring. The repercussions- serious and expansive. To define actual Love is to discover the sham of a life we live, and forever alter our state of mind.
To start- Love is godly, for God is Love. God’s sacrifice, and ultimately, our salvation, was the most direct, humanly-understandable act of Love we will ever comprehend. It caused the earth to shake, the sun to be darkened, and the sins of the world to be blotted from existence for eternity. In this day and age, the concept of human sacrifice – one person willingly and knowingly giving up his life to save the life of another – is not uncommon. It is the mark of heroes, of good people, of those who have not abandoned hope for the world. On the other hand, selflessly sacrificing oneself for someone elses’s life is also baffling. It shocks and confuses people, because we value self-preservation over heroic duty. To us, our life is more important than another’s. This, while natural and human, is the very thing Love is not.
So Godly Love is self-sacrifice. Does this mean Love requires us to throw ourselves into traffic? Do our lives have to be in danger in order to show our Love? Of course not. That is stupid. We should be ready, if the opportunity ever arises. But we don’t provoke it, and we certainly don’t look for it. Love is much more simple. Love is the complete annihilation of selfish desires. (Have I said this enough before?) Love is the abandonment of self to the needs of others. This is also considered self-sacrifice. The de-gratification of self.
Boring? Sometimes. Problematic? Sure. Difficult? Absolutely. Impossible? Well…we’ll see. First, let’s start off trying.
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Where does Love apply? To your wife? Your friends? Your father? Your arch-enemy? Is it specific? Is it for everyone?
No, not specific. Yes, it’s for everyone. And while each one of us can stand around and explain the minute details of Love’s levels within relationships, it’s much more simple to use a broad statement, a law of Love, the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and Love your neighbor as yourself.
The God part is easy. The neighbor part…ehh…I could take it or leave it. My neighbors are pretty different. I don’t know a lot of them, and some are my friends, and…wait, so it doesn’t matter, does it? No matter who my “neighbor” is, or their relationship with me, or what kind of person they are, I need to Love them like I Love myself.
So that’s Love, to me. Americans make a big deal out of looking to someone of the opposite gender and saying “I love you”. Many relationships fall apart because “we don’t love each other anymore”. But we’ve mixed it up. We’ve got it all wrong. That’s not Love…that’s affection! If you want to, you can call it “being in love”. That goofy, smiles-n-giggles time is wonderful. It has the potential to ignite serious relationships. But anything that sparks up quickly and dies fast isn’t Love.
Love has been cheapened. It’s lost its genuineness. It’s become so off-handed, so careless, so unimportant compared to selfish desires, that the real meaning of it is slipping into an unrealized legend. How much further will you allow it to go forsaken in your own life? How much is your life worth to you? In your understanding, is it worth more than anyone elses? Can you justify your actions to others?
Love is hard. It hurts sometimes. It’s uncomfortable and exhausting and difficult sometimes. But look back on a time when self-satisfaction won out over the needs of another human being, and tell me which is more rewarding. I want to know.
In the meantime, I will be working on my own realization of Love. And enjoying every minute of it.
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