Recently in my life I’ve wondered what it means to love someone. I’ve definitely struggled with this idea of love. There are many different forms. Love can be found in loving your parents. We say we love something, or love doing something. You can love a significant other. But I’ve come to believe that there is a love that encompasses all these different kinds of love. This love comes from a God that gave us love, the God that is love.
In my life I’ve struggled with loving others. When I was little, I had my friends whom I hung out with. However, there were others that didn’t; there were others that stood alone on the sidelines, without acceptance and community. What would have been the right way to love them? To welcome them, to go to them and reach out to them. However, I didn’t fully understand this love, and I didn’t act.
I’ve also struggled with loving someone. Yes, in that way. I’ve been in relationships where sure, we are extremely fond of each other. But we didn’t know how to truly love each other. I failed so many times. I was jealous. I didn’t sacrifice for her. I didn’t protect her, especially from the person who could hurt her the most: myself. I didn’t know what it meant to love, and in the end, my relationship resulted in hurt and brokenness.
Finally, I learned in church about oppression in other countries. I learned about the kidnapping of girls to force them into the sex trade. I learned about present-day slavery. I learned of how so many people in the world are hurt by someone else’s actions and scarred for life. And then I realized what they need.
See, God says in the Bible that love is patient and kind. It doesn’t envy or boast. It isn’t arrogant or rude. It doesn’t insist on its own way. It rejoices with the truth. And there are many more descriptions of what love is. And then it says God is love. And in the story of Jesus Christ, I see this perfect love that is constantly pursuing us, despite our rejection of him. I see this love that is able to reach out to those that have no friends, this love that is able to sacrifice and to pursue someone in a way that is so romantic and loving, this love that will heal all the broken hearts in the world. I now understand (or understand much more) this love, and it has changed my life. I want to share that love with you, and everyone else I meet.
