Love?... Love!
All people have the same basic human needs and basic human motivations, and love is often a natural response when our needs and motivations are understood and respected.
It might be human nature to reflect the emotions of others and act as others act. But considering the state of the average media reporting and social media rage, our loved ones deserve better, and our future deserves better. There are guarantees in life including challenges (Jn 10:10 and 16:33), opportunities (Gal 6:10 and Eph 5:15-17), and choices (Gen 1:27-28, Pro 18:21, Ro 12:2, and Gal 5:16). Love is a choice, and the first fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).
Some good Bible verses about love include John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 16:14, and Romans 8:38-39.
Love is related to positivity, which is not happiness. Being happy is based on the present moment, while being positive is based on deeper held internal beliefs. Being positive is proven to help us be more resilient, think better, and make better choices.
We can stand our ground, and holdfast to our beliefs, while still being positive and loving those who disagree with us. Emotions and feelings are contagious and influence thoughts, words, and actions. If people can hate others without getting to know them, the opposite is true, people can love others without getting to know them. Nothing requires us to return hate for hate. Hate makes our responsibilities heavier to bear, while love lightens our load.
Love is not rewarding bad behavior, it is releasing resentment. Love is not giving up on justice, or our right to self-defense. However, love does require some agreement on a definition of justice and self-defense. The more we love the less we need justice and self-defense. There is no love without forgiveness. Love is the cornerstone of all virtues, and renews all virtues, including respect and integrity. Some people might say love is a responsibility.
It is true, that loss, and the threat of loss, make it easy to hate. But, the more we resist hate, and love others, the more we make the world a better place. It is also true, the more our beliefs are grounded in truth, and the better we can communicate truthful beliefs in love, the more persuasive we are.
The evidence is clear… People are more likely to help others when they feel loved. It is not easy to change people’s hearts, but if anything can, love can. It is easier to love others if we love ourselves.
Love empowers us to connect who we are with who we can become, individually and collectively. Love equips us with the ability to transcend negative thoughts and emotions, and make them temporary passing winds.
People respond better when they feel loved.
Thoughts about love from some influential people…