What would life be without love?
To me, the whole purpose of life is about who we love, when we love, and where we love. A life without love would be extremely pointless, and void.
I used to refuse to say 'I love you' to anyone. I would when it was necessary with my family and parents, but with my friends, I would never use the phrase. People would get so angry with me because they would say "Aw, I love you" and I would respond with "Thanks!" instead of "I love you too!"
I didn't like using the word because when I had used the word in the past, I lost my friends and people I thought I loved. So, in an effort to keep myself in a safe place, I refused to use the words.
As I've grown older, and deeper into my faith, I have begun to realize that our life isn't about us. Or at least, my life isn't about me. It's about the people around me, and how I act and react around and with them. It doesn't matter if my tea is made right, but rather it's about the interaction I have with the barista making my drink. I started with small interactions such as these, having a conversation with the people behind the counter, helping them to realize they are appreciated and cared for. It's simple, really. How hard is it to be overly kind to a stranger?
It gets hard when you have to love someone who doesn't love you.
Hate is a strong word. I don't use it. At least not about people. I occasionally will hate a grade, a situation, or food (such as seafood, I hate it), but I don't hate anyone. Sure, there are people that I don't particularly have the best relationships with, but I don't hate them. I just extremely dislike the spirit of our relationship. I'm not a perfect person, I know I've done things to make people hate me. Often times, people dislike me because of my outspoken faith, because I'm a very poor communicator who doesn't ever respond to texts, or because I just honestly was self-centered and didn't take the time to be longsuffering with them. I openly admit I know there are many people that hate me. It never feels good to hear someone say, "Oh yeah, they hate you", but I do hear it more often than I'd like to.
I used to hate. I'm really good at harboring my feelings. I've been screwed over countless times. The more and more I got screwed over, the harder my heart became, toughening to each and every situation, teaching me to sew my lips closed, to not trust, and especially not to love. Loving people is hard for me. Letting people in is even harder.
Love is scary for a lot of people. Real love that is. You don't love someone a month into a relationship, that's just infatuation. Real love is hard. It's the times when you have no time left and you still make time for someone else. It's days when you have no money in your account but still pick up the dinner check. It's moments when you feel like you have nothing left and you still give everything you have to the person you love.
Love.
Love is Longsuffering.
Love is Forgiveness.
Love is Truth.
Love is Trust.
Love is Unconditional.
We live in a society that romanticizes the idea of love, making it seem like it's easy, and always enjoyable. But it's not. It's hard. It's harder to forgive than to harbor the pain. It's harder to let someone in than to keep them in the dark. Love is hard. But when you open up your eyes and see the people around you that truly love you, let them in. Love them. Love with all your might. I know it seems like the most difficult thing to do, but I promise it's worth it.
So, I challenge you to take the time to really love the people around you, to see past their faults, and you might just be surprised how much easier it is to love than to hate.
Always,
HMS
