Have you ever thought of the most important thing you could do or have done in your life?
Do you know what that is?
I do.
It's what you were born to do.
It's something every single person, no matter what language they speak or which tribe they come from, can understand.
Love.
I have Taylor Swift's 1989 album in my car to jam out to on road trips. Don't get me wrong I love that album, but the first song bothers me. Welcome To New York talks about her love for NY and compares the two:
"Like any real love, it keeps you guessing
Like any great love, it's ever changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
but you know you wouldn't change anything, anything, anything"
That is so so so incorrect.
True love is the exact opposite of everything she says.
Real love, does not it keep you guessing - it is the answer.
Great love, it not ever changing - it is constant.
True love, does not drive you crazy - it fills you up, empowers you and makes you want to love more.
The rest of that song is great because N.Y. is literally my favorite place on the planet. But hopefully you are starting to understand how messed up our understanding of "love" is.
Besides song lyrics, we are constantly surrounded by posters, T.V. shows, movies, and advertisements on advertisements on advertisements, that train our brains that we need to get something from everything. We have developed this sense of entitlement and it's caused us to think of each other more like objects instead of humans.
The kind of love I'm talking about reminds us that we are human.
Love that works hard but is still gentle. The kind of love that says hard truths. The kind of love that makes you willingly give up your time, and energy to be there for someone else.
I don't mean 5000 hours of volunteer work like building houses or serving at homeless shelters. Although those things are awesome, it's not the only way to love. You can love in your everyday life.
What does this love look like?
This photo represents a modern day fairytale. A story of how real love works.
There once was a hopeless girl. Her spirit had been beaten down and her body had been abused. She used to live in fear of getting hurt. Then one day, she met a man who was a little bit different. She was cautious at first; the men she had known before, always wanted more than just a good conversation from her. But this one respected her, gave consideration to her opinions, and asked the condition of her heart. He gave solid advice and showed her how much she deserved to love and respect herself. He saw her worth and allowed her to see it too. He took her in as his sister. Of course she had other women in her life telling her the same things and loving her the same way, but never a man.
The way this man chose to love her, gave her hope and taught her how to love and be loved.
This story is a story of love because it is about a person dedicated to the good of someone other than himself. It is a story of acceptance because he did not try to change her. Instead, he chose to love her and her guarded heart the way they were. Slowly softening the barriers with consistency and grace until she could see again.
They are still friends to this day. They spend time eating food and going on walks to talk about the blessings, the lessons and the challenges in their lives and supporting each other through it all.
So now it's your turn! Get out there and love someone today. Make a phone call, ask your co-worker how they are doing and how you can help. Spend time with your family, take out your elderly neighbor's trash. Invest your time and energy in people.
Loving people can be a challenge but it is definitely always worth it.
If you don't know how to love people, look to someone who does. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi had a pretty good idea. Buddha and the Dalai Lama have really great teachings too, but in my opinion no one loved better than Jesus did. Even if you're not a Christian you can still look to him as an example of how to love cause dang, it was deep.
If you're interested check out 1 John 3:11-20 and 4: 7-21. Also, Trip Lee did an amazing job talking about love at the Austin Stone over the summer. Here's the link: Trip Lee - Love
Whatever you do, do it with gentleness, grace and optimism - this kind of love, will change your life.
“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” ― C.S. Lewis
(An excerpt from the--openedbook.blogspot.com)
