LOVE Part 2

OK, its time to do the impossible and try to define love, as defined in Part one. "A steady desire for the loved ones ultimate good, as far as it can be obtained"

First of all, Love is a desire to ACT. Love is not motionless, it must be busy searching out the loved ones ultimate good. Secondly, it is a desire to act SACRIFICIALLY.. Love must cost us something. And I really do not mean money either. Love someone,.. ANYONE, and it will cost us time, it will cost us comfort, we must get out of our comfort zone and put our hearts right on the line. Yes it may cost us money as well, and in some cases as in the case of our brave soldiers, Love may cost us our lives. Show me a man who is not willing to die for the one he loves and Ill show you not much of a man.

Love also is a desire to act sacrificially FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANOTHER. Now you may say.."wait a minute..If I do all these things, doesn't it follow that it will be beneficial??" Not really. For instance you may "love" your kids so much you do not want to see them hurt, so as a result, you let them do anything they want. Is that for their benefit?? or maybe you have a loved one who is a recovering addict. Do you give him what he craves because you love him and want to see them happy?? of course not. Sometimes we show love in ways that is not beneficial to others, and some times real love is not met with kindness. we must make sure what we are doing is TRULY beneficial for that person whether they like us for it or not. The old phrase "You'll thank me later" fits here.. and you know?? most often they will!

Finally and perhaps the hardest to do is this point. Love is a desire to act Sacrificially for the benefit of another WHETHER THEY DESERVE IT OR NOT!.. Man is this hard. but sometimes we men know that our loved ones are not acting in a way we would like, so we kind of say.. "forget it. They do not deserve my love at the moment". And we guys can be the same way ourselves. But real love shows itself whether the other person deserves it or not. What do you do when a person we love acts a fool?? do we punt?? give up? or love them all the more. That's the challenge of love.

Men (and women) If you have a love like that, treasure it!! And if you happen to be the one GIVING that kind of love, well my hat is off to you, that's the kind of love we need now.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. .