The Meaning of Love...
1 Cor 13:4-8
If you could have a glimpse of your life and all the events surrounding your life up to this point how would you answer this question?
"What did you accomplish?"
Having a stature in society that deems you as a person that is succesfull, charitable, famous, talented, humble, unique, leader etc.. is cool but even more awsome is being that, with a loving heart.
How many people have you truly loved? How many should you really love? Do you show it in every sense of the word?
I asked myself all these questions the other day. I admit I have fell short in many ways. I can change that now! If I have all the talent in the world as an artist it does me no good if I don't have love. I can be the best leader but without love I am blind.
Somwhere in the Bible I read that God is love. So- must I have God in my life in order to express love the best I can? My answer is yes. With respect to different beleifs, a diety with so much love must be admired and respected. The greatest story ever told is the perfect example. A man (Jesus of Nazareth) dying on a cross for the sins of the world. Having been pefect himself to put all that aside so that everyone else might have a fighting chance to know what he knows, to love like he loves and to live like he lives. That is awsome! Beginning to know Him helps me undestand what I must do to love like Him.
I thought about loving my neighboor as myself. I thought about being in heaven and having everybody read my thoughts...it was uneasy. I have impure thoughts and habits. How can I really associate with a loving being if my mind is distorted. I challenged myself to domitae those thoughts by reminding myself that loving my creator is more important than lusting his creations. I guess every man has his way of being weak through drugs, alcohol,smoking,drinking,cussing,sex,violence and greed. Some things are not bad (girls) but wanting something so much that it clouds your relationship with your creator does hurt.
Love to me is not two sided. It is an experience with many deep dimensions. The love for my mother is not the same as the love for my sister but in a small way it is.The love for my friends is not the same as the love for my pet but in a sense it is. Getting to know somebody by associating yourself with their struggles helps you understand them better. Actually expressing love by sacrificing yourself (with time, finances, the "shirt off your back", prayer etc..)to help them is a great expression of love.
Another famous scripture is about there being no better man in this earth than one that sacrifices his life for a friend. Imagine the impact, admiration, appreciation and profoundness of love of the friend that survived? This is how I feel for the Lord.
I think about the service members that are dying in Iraq for the freedom of the farmers, ranchers and all the other people there. What a sacrifice! I picture a day when they will all get to thank those that died. Thank them for giving up their lives with their children on this earth, their mothers and other friends and family so that the Iraqi people can live without fear of death and oppression. It will be a wonderful day! That's ultimate love.
I am so proud of being able to serve the people...God Bless!
posted by Big O at
9:40 AM
3 Comments:
"What did you accomplish?" That is a tough question for me. I have a personality flaw: I rarely finish what I start. I get all passionate about something and then little by little I lose that enthusiasm. (I AM trying to change that about myself.) I feel that God has created me to be a "work in progress." I am not materialistic. I do not believe in achieving success by surrounding yourself with objects. I am a giver and not a taker. I reap more rewards out of life by helping those around me to succeed than in having success in my own life. To me, that is how I show my love...I put them first. I make sacrifices daily for my friends, my family, my child. I do it without thought or concern, I do it without asking to be repaid. I get more satisfaction out of my life by helping others that my own happiness is never a concern, because seeing them rejoice is all of the rewards I need. I am a student so that I can teach others what I learn. I am changing careers to benefit my family and make an impact on the world. So if you want to know what I have accomplished, look around me at the people that I care about. You will find my accomplishments in their achievements and happiness.
"How many people have you truly loved? How many should you really love? Do you show it in every sense of the word?"
Love is such an interesting topic for me...just read my blog! I believe that you should love everyone. Love thy neighbor as thy thyself. Of course, there are different types of love and different degrees.
I am a pretty loving person in general. I would not hurt a soul(unless it was for their own good), I am good at heart, I don't lie, I don't cheat, I don't act selfishly. But sometimes I get hurt and it does become hard to love a stranger the way that I should....I must never let anyone or anything take away that great ability to love selflessly. Maybe I need to remember that in those times that I must first love myself and then love for my neighbor will come naturally. That is another aspect I must work on.
There are those exceptions, of course. Those that I love, I love them with everything I got. I don't hold back. I don't put conditions on that love. I love completely and without question. I put them first and would do anything for them. This is true for my friends, my family and those that surround my life. I feel that if you really looked at my life, you would see the love I have. You would see that although I am not perfect, I do know how to love.
I know this post of yours is not that recent but I just happened upon your blog from Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez's blog.
This is a great post! There's no greater love than to lay down your life for another. And not only am I thankful to Jesus for doing that. But I'm thankful for the men and women who've laid down their lives in the name of freedom throughout our country's history but even now in Iraq and Afhgani.
Above everything I want my life to be about love. Loving God, my family, my friends....
I Cor 13 has that ultimate description of love. I want to live up to that!
Thanks for sharing this Omar!
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