To Love is to Celebrate the existence of all life… starting with our own. When we love, we actively express and demonstrate the connection we have to life and the world around us. When we engage our head, heart and hands, our presence is felt… and it’s powerful.
When we talk about love, we must be cognizant of just how much power, emotion, passion and energy we give to it.
For example, we love in many different ways. Consider how you might “love” God, love your spouse, love your children, love your home/job/car, love your favorite sports team, love cheeseburgers, sunshine, naps, music… your cell phone, and… the list goes on. We get a lot of mileage out of the term, love. We use it to describe an infinitely complex range of emotions and relationships we have to all sorts of different people, places, things, etc.
Now let’s consider Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages, where the author categorizes the five (5) ways we process love…
- Words of Affirmation
- Acts of Service
- Receiving Gifts
- Quality Time
- Physical Touch
So, beyond the number of ways we use the word “love” to describe feelings, emotions, values, relationships, etc., there’s also multiple ways to express and demonstrate it.
Same word. Infinite meanings.
Now, let’s go even deeper.
We have countless examples of love all around us. Yet, how many of them are counterfeit?
For example, when a person says, “I love fish.” Do they really mean they love “fish” or rather do they love “themselves” thereby justifying the act of killing and boiling the fish so they can eat it?” (https://youtu.be/CMcHtSjtNBY)
It is important for us to be able to distinguish between the real and the fake, the truth and the lie, the everlasting and the temporary.
For this reason, we are encouraged to always go to the source of love, Jesus Christ. When we receive the love of Christ, we allow Him to fill our cups with perfect love from which we first drink… and then serve others from.
As the good book (i.e. the Bible) says in Matthew 22:37-39, Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Mark 12:30-31… “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… and then love your neighbor as yourself.”
In other words, scripture is telling us to to allow our cups to be filled to the point of overflow from the source… then, from an overflowing cup… love and serve others freely with no strings attached. Serving others from an overflowing cup empowers us to give freely without ever keeping score hoping to receive in return. Where do you get your wisdom, compassion, and energy to love others from?
In order to love others perfectly, you must first allow yourself to be loved perfectly. Then, with a full heart, you’ll be better prepared to offer the same perfect love to others.
