Monday, April 11, 2005

Living a Life of Love

What does it mean to live a life of love? I've been contemplating this question a lot lately. I am married and I say I love my husband, but when I argue with him and resort to shouting or name-calling, is that love? Surely it's not! But, marriage is suppose to be the ultimate act of love. Isn't it? Then, why is it that I can't even get that right? I love my husband more than anything in the world, but I need to show him that love everyday through my actions because my words become meaningless if the way I treat him doesn't reflect what is meant by those words. How do I do this though? If I can't consistently show love and compassion to my husband whom I publicly committed to love for all the days of my live, than how is it that I am suppose to live a life of love towards those I haven't made that commitment to?
After pondering my question of "what does it mean to live a life of love?" here is the conclusion I've come to: Love was truly lived out through Jesus' life and if I am to be successful at living a live of love I must follow Christ's example. He was a walking, talking, breathing example of what it meant to live a life of love!
We need to build our relationships by loving others freely, without any expectations. This is more than merely saying that "yes, I am a Christian and I love others because Christ loved others." It is taking action and living a life that proves what I believe.
It is not the BIG things that show love; it's the little every day things that build on each other(smiling at people, holding the door open for the people behind you, helping someone move into their new house, inviting people over for dinner, etc.). These are the things that daily show love. These are the things that may seem tedious and unnecessary, but it's easy to love people when they are obviously hurting. I challenge us to love people simply because of who they are, not because they need love at that very moment. If we are continually striving to love others on a daily basis we really could change the world. Imagine, if everyone was always striving to help someone else before themself or looking for ways to be kind to others, there would be a switch from the self-centered, inwardly world we live in to a selfless, outwardly focused world in which the pain and suffering would probably decrease simply do to the fact that our focus is on other people rather than on ourselves.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said! I agree that if we would all just love others in a way that was evident in our conduct, there would be little need to label ourselves "Christians" to identify us as Christ followers to the world around us.

Maybe someday we'll learn what the world truly needs from Christians, and live a life that meets those needs. Imagine what that would look like.

Great post!

Anonymous said...

I'm impressed with the thoughts you have expressed. Truly if all christians did live a life of love for everyone the world would be a better place. Focusing on others is the answer to not only bringing joy to others , but allowing God to work through us. What a great way to impact the world!

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed a lot! » »

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