Experimental Living

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

When I was younger, I didn’t understand a thing about love. I certainly thought I did, classifying it into two main categories: the first, being the only kind I knew (familial), and the second, being the kind I only heard about (romantic). 

And yet, years later and still learning, I have touched upon so many different kinds of love, each different from the last and so unique in its manifestations; and I can only wonder how many more I’ll discover before I die. 

But one thing that has become incredibly apparent to me is that real love, no matter with whom you share it, is bound by sacrifice. The very definition of love could simply be “sacrifice”, and so it only makes sense that the importance of giving of one’s self is contained in true love.

One important thing I’ve learned is that the best kind of love is painful and imperfect. Every moment of disappointment and frustration is made worth the brief flashes of the satisfaction you receive from giving. Tennyson knew what he was talking about when he wrote that it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all; it’s so much more fulfilling to love than be to loved. 

Another fact I’ve discovered is that love is better spoken in actions rather than words. This is likely obvious to most, but being a very verbal person has its flaws, one of which is that I often try to speak what I’m feeling instead of showing it. But I’ve found that my true friends are those who return the effort I make in conserving our friendship through actions instead of solely through Facebook wall post proclamations. Not that there’s anything wrong with that… but when you only show your love for a friend through typing an email, something is lacking. 

I will always love, as long as I live, not just because it’s a God-given gift to be able to love, but because it requires sacrifice: the most fulfilling thing in the world. 

So let’s commit to sacrificial relationships with everyone in our lives: parents, brothers and sisters, friends, significant others, etc. After all, the only way we can receive is if we give first.

Just a few thoughts.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 at 10:15 pm and is filed under Christian Living, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.