Showing Love...an Introduction

In the United States, the word love is tossed around flippantly. I love those shoes. I love chocolate. I love to go to the beach. Some people are quick to say I love you.  Some are very protective of those words and only say them when they truly mean them. In the Bible three levels and type of love are refer to: philia (friendship), eros (physical/romantic love) and agape (unconditional love).  As long as I can remember, I have struggled truly giving love and receiving love from others. I was blessed with parents who were very loving and expressed it to us daily. They repeatedly stated there was nothing we could do or say that would stop them from loving us.  I had no reason to doubt them. I, however, had a difficult time believing this truth. In return, I was hesitant to love others fearing they may hurt me. 

I remember having a conversation with one of my roommates several years ago when I was in a difficult place mentally. I expressed to her my reservations. I even went as far to say that I did not think that humans were capable of unconditionally loving someone. So why allow myself to love someone when I am just opening myself up to be wounded. I asked her what it means to love someone. Anyone: a spouse, a family member, a child, a stranger, a friend. She referred to the Bible which holds the true standard of love. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Second, love your enemy as yourself. He also said love later in another conversation that " no one has greater love, than he who would lay down his life for another."  Wow! That sure gives me a wake up call to the definition of love. 

 It was after this conversation that I had another one with a special couple that I knew socially, but not deeply. After some small talk, I felt comfortable telling them parts of my life story that I had not shared with anyone. I was scared they would severely judge me; I would lose the perception that I had everything under control. When I finished, much to my surprise, they reached out and hugged me. They did not try to belittle the struggles, judge my decisions, or show me pity. They did not say anything but simply loved me. This was the beginning of a wonderful, unique friendship.  

In the recent years, I have grown in my understanding of love and have branched out to care and love more people. As God has continued to work in my life through difficult circumstances and proven himself faithful, I have begun to trust Him more. It is amazing how He has consistently shown me love through the years. We have walked through many joys and many trials together. I know these would have been impossible without Him. The journey has certainly had its ups and downs. Even when I get mad or "need space", He has continued to love me in unique ways. 

I heard repeatedly in the more recent years that the person you love most is the person that can hurt you the worst. What a interesting dynamic. A large component of love is trust.  Trust that the person has your best interest in mind; trust that they will be by your side with the celebrations; trust that they will be by your side during the dark difficult times; trust that you will work out issues that make one or both parties mad; trust that they will give their life for you.

I never would have guessed that I would learn and experience love to a new level while serving with a hospital ship docked in Pointe Noire, Congo.  This blog has turned out to be a long introduction to the next one about what I have been learning here in the past two weeks about love.