What is love? Baby don't hurt me.
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A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds: "What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think...
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8And the final one...
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry."
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While reading these, I went into the abyss of my mind with the question, “What IS love to me any way?” I began to recollect an old quote I thought was from St. John Paul II, “Love is choosing the good of the other over the good of one self.” I later found a similar quote of his, “Do not forget that true love sets no conditions. It does not calculate or complain, but simply loves.”
I struggle with this definition. Are we called to love everybody this way? Is this love calling me to be a pushover? How do I love this way without getting hurt? Am I even capable of loving this way? Can I even receive this kind of love? Will I ever be ready for this kind of love?
I think the beauty lies in that this kind of love is a calling from God and as such simply requires our yes. God works with and alongside us. The times he has called me to love this way, he gives me the strength, it wells ups within me and bursts forth without me striving, all I had to do was say, “yes.” But, oh how difficult is that not so little yes?
Jesus teaches us how to do this. In the garden, as he struggles with his crucifixion and death, he speaks to the Father,
“Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Luke 22:42 (RSV)
We all have “I can’t do this” moments. We could even get hung up on, “Wow! Jesus, really was human,” and justify sitting in our weakness. But here Jesus teaches us what to do, he abandons himself to the will of the Father, which is ultimately the way of true love. In this short prayer, Jesus recognizes his human weakness and chooses to say yes to love irregardless.
I think a large part of my walk with the Lord has been defined by my desire to get everything right before I can say a complete yes to him. I say, “Yes, but…” “God loves me, but…” “I love God, but…”
I felt like I did not deserve God’s love because I kept failing to love Him rightly. I often still feel this way, it’s a journey, right? Let’s be honest here, will we, I, ever be completely capable of loving God? Will I ever be mature enough? Will I ever be perfect enough? I will never be by my own human strength, but the same divinity that chose to dwell among us, is within us. The same “yes” Jesus gave to God’s love, we can give with the strength he has placed within us. Moreover! Every little “yes” to God’s love means an overflow. He does not respond with a little yes as if he is afraid of unrequited love, but he says, “You want to see how much I love you? This is how much I love you.” He offers all of it, all of himself, without calculation or condition. Now the question is will we give our little yes again, and again, and again?
Photo Credit: Jesus Mafa
