HopeFul Reflections

What Does it Mean to Love?

Love is the chance to show another what I believe is the Lord’s greatest gift to us. A gift that brough us into creation and lead to his greatest sacrifice for us. It is free yet priceless. It is both easy and painstakingly difficult. It is the reason you can’t stop thinking about someone and the reason you might wish you could stop worrying about them because you hope they’re doing well. Love is an opportunity for growth, for mission, and for healing.

The Chance to Experience Faith

I choose to believe that in loving another you have an opportunity to serve as an example of God’s love. Having experienced what it is to be cared for, to be thought of, and to be comforted has allowed me the chance to do the same for others. Even the absence of these things has given me a chance to love others in the way I wish I were loved. It is in this opportunity that I have found immense strength. The ability to face things which originally seemed insurmountable through the support and guidance of those around me. The ability to persist through all trials knowing I can return home to my loved ones. The ability to know that no matter how cruel the world may seem there is an example of God’s love shining brightly in my life at home.

A Chance for Growth

There is no greater unknown than to venture out into an endless world and to share understanding with another. What I mean by that is, instead of choosing to view the world by yourself you’ve chosen to accept or at least entertain the thoughts of another and treat them with respect. It is also the chance to allow yourself to experience things you would otherwise avoid, because love is it’s own reward. You would be hard pressed to find a mother that wouldn’t walk through fire for their child. I’ve found that I would face things I’d previously consider terrifying if it meant I could be surrounded by love. It becomes easy to find the energy to drive through traffic and miss a reunion after working consecutive late shifts on 5 hours of sleep when you have the opportunity to see the one you love because they need you. It’s not even a thought. It’s a privilege to feel needed.

A Chance to be Afraid

I’m a cautious man, a cowardly man even. I am afraid of being vulnerable. I am afraid of uncertainty. I am afraid of allowing another to have control over my emotions. I am afraid of showing someone seeing my weakest moments and having them reject me. I am afraid of caring for another and watching them hurt. However, there are just times when you know that these trivial feelings mean knowing against the opportunity of love. I am constantly faced with the choice of my own isolating sense of security and growth through uncertainty with a loved one and I choose growth every time. I don’t know what the future holds and that is terrifying to me, but the funny thing is I am willing to face that with them by my side.

A Chance for a Promise

Love is all these things and more. However, to me the most important aspect of love is that love is a promise. A promise of certainty. My greatest relationships are those in which I know no storm will ever weather our bonds. I, as a man, am nothing more than my word and my actions. May my love be my greatest representation of myself. It is my identity and the reason I act. The one thing you may always count on when doubt, anxiety, and fear surround you. My love is a promise of assurance. A promise that no matter the obstacle, whether it be my ego, worldly possessions, or the world’s temptations, I choose you everyday. I always will.