Feelings versus Attitude

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends." –John 15: 12- 13

Many people love others for what they do for them; how they make them feel. Feelings however come and go. The people we loved for their energy and beauty get old; they become too familiar, and we meet others who are more exciting. Those we loved for their money may fall on hard times, and we may get better positions with more money and feel we no longer need them.

When our love for others is driven only by feelings; it is not true love. Love needs to mature to a commitment. You decide to love the one you married, for richer -for poorer till death. You decide to love others no matter their shortcomings, their gender, their religion, their race or tribe, or how much they have fallen or disappointed you.

It takes hard work to truly love and make it a constancy not swayed by ever changing emotions. However, it is a worthwhile investment which richly develops your character to embrace patience, humility, empathy, sense of responsibility and consideration for others. You become a better person, following in the footsteps of our Saviour. Christ made a decision to become a sacrifice; in order to restore the original fellowship with God. The Lord does not give up on us; his love is constant. He is patient and long suffering in waiting for us to turn to him.

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Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around”. Leo F Buscaglia.

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