Some think they cannot love until they are loved.
Sure, it is easier to love others if you have been loved (enough and in the right way) growing up.
And thus the saying, "life isn't fair." How can I love (the right way) if I haven't been loved (the right way)?
That part we can't do anything about. That's life! That's what makes life exciting!
But do we really want our (future) children to not be so loving by not letting them experience (the right kind of) love (from us)?
I think if you feel you are not loved (enough), you may have to love some more. Or that you may need to know how to love in the right way.
I strongly believe it is not love if you expect an equal or nearly an equal amount of love in return. To expect payback for what you give is called business; not love, not charity.
How much do you expect from those whom you've given to?
Can you (truly) love others even if you haven't truly experienced it?
Can you serve your subordinates much more than your superiors have served you?
Can you teach your students more than your teachers have taught you?
Can you love your children much more than your parents have loved you?
Can you (truly) love others even if you would not be loved in return?
Can you love God if only for the so many wonderful things he has done for you?
Can you tell the world about God's love, even in the thick of all that's happening around you?
This is God's only call to all of us. Love. The right way. Love enough. Or love some more. Love not just with your hearts and strength, but also with your mind.
Should I expect love in return? I shouldn't, or at least not in the way I would expect it. But surely, love will come back to me, in the way our all-knowing and ever-loving God has planned it, and at a certain time which he knows is best for us. This is God's one promise to all of us who follow his call to love.
kung nag-antayan lahat ng tao na ma-love muna before loving, eh di wala ng mag-lo-love. :(
ReplyDelete@Yvaine: Well then it becomes obvious what we ought to do: love first. And that starts with knowing (i.e. using your mind) first how to love.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless I can think of at least two situations wherein even without (thinking of, feeling, or actually) being loved first, you love first (somehow): when you fall in love.. and when you meet your own child for the first time! I guess it is deep within human nature to love, knowing what a wonderful thing it is and consequently longing for it ourselves. I guess it is just a matter of how much do you want to be loved, and that's how deeper you ought to go within yourself (e.g. how much of yourself you would sacrifice) to be able to love others more than you have been loved in the past. So love first!