"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love." Sophocles (496 BC - 406 BC)
Love is as old and timeless as life itself. Even before humans were created, animals showed forms of love to one another; mating for life, a mother's love for her baby, the loving bond a family shares.
Love literally makes the world go around. The Creator (whoever you believe Him to be) lovingly created our solar system in such a way that allows us to experience the amazing rhythmicity of our lives. Day to energize us and give us light to live by, night to relax us and let us sleep by. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, all beautiful and necessary in their own ways.
All of these examples of love, do they not make you feel... well... loved? And when you really feel loved, does is not make you feel like you are on top of the world? You see, this is a basic need of humankind: to be loved. Without it, we would perish. Even if it is only a love of oneself, it is still required, as it gives us a reason to live. And how much better it feels to have someone else love us! Whether that be a husband, wife, child, friend, even God himself, we crave the feeling of being loved by someone.
"Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved."
Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
There are many forms of love; not only passionate and burning love, but also quiet love, friendly love, the kind of love that some people exude. Yes, you know who they are... those people that selflessly give of themselves, always there to give a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. It is often said that it is people like this that make the world a better place, how true!
So, just imagine a world in which everyone simply loved... would you agree that the world would be an amazing place to live? One could almost go so far as to say that such a world would be just as the Creator intended. And even if there is no Creator to have intended such, I am sure we all want a better world for ourselves. It seems, though, that over a period of time, humanity as a whole has forgotten how to fully love... but wait! A certain book springs to mind that teaches us how to love in this day and age.
When I started reading the Bible (specifically the New Testament) with an open mind, something struck me about the character known as Jesus... he was, quite simply, the personification of love. Everything he did was totally selfless, right down to the end when he offered up his life for us.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16 (NIV)
In life, Jesus preached only love... he did not preach religion, nor hellfire, nor anything else, only love. In fact, the only two laws we are given in the New Testament are to love God wholly, and love everyone else as you love yourself. Two simple rules that would change the world completely.
All that we know about the Bible (for an absolute fact) is that it was written. We do not know any of the "who, what, where, why, when"s of it for a certainty. But in all actuality, do we really need to know these things?
"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!"
John 5:39 (NIV)
There are people that study the Bible all their lives, and yet do not quite realize the point. They get caught up in finding out whether Genesis really was written by Moses, and why this scripture says one thing and another says something different, the list goes on. But here we see it in all it's plain glory... The scriptures are all about Jesus, and Jesus is love!
Let's not all get caught up in facts, figures, dates, people, or places. Regardless of our belief system, we can all agree on one thing...
"To live is human. To love is divine."
Author Unknown
Starting today... go ahead and love. Do not hold back, do not think twice. Give everything of yourself to others. Feel the love, let it shine throughout your life. In doing so, no matter what you believe, you will have made at least one person smile, and that smile will make the world a better place to live.
I love you all. May God bless every single one of you in his eternal love.
Keith Jones