Dedicated to Pastor Sally…who taught me all about Jesus and guided me in my teenage years through thick and thin. Thank you so very much for putting up with me.
Hey all, how’s everyone doing? Well, I picked an interesting topic to talk about today. L-O-V-E. Haha…no, I’m not officially attached. So why talk about love? It may be because so many people around me seem to have caught the love bug. Also, since I’ve been single for quite a while now, my friends were starting to ask me why and encouraging me to get attached, here in Gold Coast. Haha! Some of them seem more worried than me even. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the type that gives in easily to peer pressure, but currently every member of my ‘family’ (eg. Josh-illa etc.) is attached. And going out with them will seem really weird even as a group. Haha…but i guess i only gotta think about that when i get back to Sydney.
Well this blog entry is gonna just be about some of my personal ideas about what love is. So bear with me, and don’t flame me if you don’t agree. But do give me feedback on what you think. =)
Every so often, a boy/girl whispers into the ear of another the magic words…"i love u"! But does s/he really? "Till death do us part"…such bold words…yet how often do marriages end in divorce and couples break up?? Then there are those that believe someone loves them because the guy sends chocolates, flowers, and are "Oh, so charming/talented/romantic!". I don’t have anything against sending gifts, or being romantic/charming, but in my opinion, that doesn’t neccessarily mean someone loves u. Then there are others who genuinely believe that they love someone…but are often confused between love and like. It is possible to immediately like someone and most of the time you can’t really help ‘falling’ for someone, but i personally believe that love is different.
Love is not exactly something that just happens. Love is a choice. Lemme explain…yes, it is possible that someone may ’suddenly’ realise that they are in love, but this is usually after investing a significant amount of time, energy, resources, and faith in that relationship/friendship. The Bible says, "where your treasure is, your heart will be also". It is when you’ve actually sacrificed quite a bit for someone that you know you truly love him/her.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always perseveres. Love never fails…
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Also, you don’t really know you love someone until you know one well enough…one’s weaknesses, idiosyncrasy, bad habits etc. And that’s why true love is a choice. Once you know the bad side of a person, are u still able to live with him/her? And btw, if u believe a person can ‘change later’, it’s not impossible, but you’re in for a tough time, coz research shows otherwise.
About love in general…u noe, sometimes loving someone means taking yourself out of the picture. You can’t force someone to love you back, and neither can you blame them if they don’t. My advice on the matter…don’t dwell on it. The longer you harbour feelings, the longer the healing process takes…and it may end up a long time before you move on.
As a guy, I do wanna point out one thing to all the girls reading this out there. On Sunday, instead of studying, I decided to watch Pride and Prejudice (BBC version) instead. keke…I must say it was pretty good…all 327 mins of it =) One thing I liked was that in the movie, it showed nice guys don’t always finish last. The main male lead, Mr Darcy (played by Colin Firth) is a social introvert and is portrayed as someone who’s often misunderstood. He represents all the guys out there who sometimes, may not say the most charming or flattering words, and have problems expressing themselves. However, most of the time, you’ll find that the less ‘flattering/flirty’ types are the ones that will stick by their girl when the going gets tough. The ones that flatter you with pretty words /pick-up-lines may seem so smooth…but just remember, they will prolly say the same thing to the next hot chic that walks by. The shy types may very well be so because he respects your opinion and doesn’t wanna give a bad impression.
And then there was the part in the movie where Mr Darcy privately settles the payment to Mr Wickham for the latter’s marriage to Elizabeth’s sister…just because he loved Elizabeth. But then you might say, guys like these don’t exist anymore. Well, my advice to girls out there…don’t just give yourself to any guy. All the Mr Darcys aren’t extinct yet! Have faith, and give them a chance…
But to everyone out there who’s waiting for your Mr Darcy or Elizabeth Bennet…I would like to introduce you to someone who loves you despite your weaknesses, shortcomings, wrongdoings, and current circumstances. He knows you in and out; every deed, spoken word, or thought. Despite this, he has chosen to love you and he promises…
I will never leave you nor forsake you… - Hebrews 13:5
And to prove His love, He gave his life for you and I by hanging on a wooden cross. It is written that anyone who hangs on a tree is cursed. But he became a curse for us, so that we may live free from our sins, so that we may be saved and able to enjoy His love.
There is no greater love than this, than for a man to lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13
This man was flawless and without sin, yet he became poor so that we may be rich, became a curse so that we may be blessed, became separated from His father so that we may be called sons of God, and bore scars on his body so that we may be healed. He has your name forever carved on the palms of His hands in the form of piercings made from nails that held Him on that cross. His name is Jesus….and He is the embodiment of true love.
In the end, three things remain: faith, hope and love. The greatest of these is love - 1 Cor 13:4-8
