LOVE: The greatest weapon made for a life warrior
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.” ~ An unforgettable line from one of my personal favorite movies, Moulin Rouge.
I remember in grade school when I used to answer questions on slambook, I spent most of my time thinking and answering the question, “What is Love?” I always felt like I could never answer it as fast as I can respond to “who is your crush,” “what is your motto,” and even “your most embarrassing moment.” As young as 7 years old, I thought that there is something better than “love is sweet,” “love is kind,” and even “love is my crush,” so I settled with “love is sacrifice,” knowing somehow that love is still more than that.
As people experience life, each person may have a different understanding of love. Each man and woman may have a different definition of what it is depending on what they give importance to, what they perceive as acceptable, and even on what they have learned and believed as something they can adapt to. Some people even consider different approaches in love like being practical or realistic as they go thru life or idealistic with a hope that they will find what they have been looking for while keeping their own values intact.
Though each of us may have a different interpretation, the Christian Bible, which I consider a life’s standard, also has its own. It says a lot of things about what love is and what love isn’t. It refers to love as BOLD LOVE. Loving boldly goes beyond just getting along. It involves commitment to engage for the purpose of seeing others as well as yourself being changed in the process of love. Bold love means to learn to love with God’s character or reflecting God’s character in the way we love.
The sour truth is that we are constantly at war in this life. It is a kind of war or battle that cannot be fought without a heart that is willing to engage in love. We are constantly at war with evil, the kind of evil that God hates and the kind that puts the presence of “sin” in this world. However, the most beautiful truth is, God loves us too much so He gave up His only Son to save and spare us from our sins. His unlimited goodness and unconditional love gave us the next most awesome thing in this world (next to LOVE), forgiveness. No matter how many times we fail, make mistakes, hurt Him, forget Him, put the blame on Him, God chooses to forgive and love us unconditionally. The act of giving up His only son simply showed us His gift of love that can overcome any form of sin and evil.
Sin exists. Evil exists. People will be at constant battle with evil and temptation. There is no question that there are people who harmed us, hurt us and have sinned against us. But the radical truth is… every failure or hurtful situation is an opportunity to show BOLD LOVE.
Every battle gives us the privilege to LOVE. It is the only reason why God made his sacrificial decision… and it is the greatest weapon God made available for FREE so we can fight our own battles in life.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
