Love is what everyone seeks and desires in their life. Love is the essence of our being. Without love, we are sad and often unhappy. Love is a rare commodity that we can reject, betray, and cast away. Love is a force that can change and influence the impossible. We crave love with every single cell of our bodies, even if we don’t want to admit it. Love is everywhere, and if we look around with open eyes, we will always see it. Love can move mountains and shorten all distances. Sometimes, love can also hurt quite deeply. Love is everything. Love is a lifelong quest for our true essence. Love is an effort to live life with ease. Love is the desire to belong somewhere. Love is the only certainty our soul yearns for. Love is the essence of each of us. Love waits patiently. Love knows how to give and see the world in its true unique essence. Love is a state where we can realize the present moment – here and now. Love always wins.
As Paul says in First Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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 trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
To be able to love with true love, we must first learn to love ourselves. If we take a moment now to think about the relationship we have with ourselves, what will be the true and honest answer? Whatever our answer, let us try to remember or imagine a person we have loved or wish to love with the purest essence of love. What feeling comes up? Now let us imagine that this person is ourselves. Let us look at ourselves from a distance, as independent observers, and allow ourselves to direct all loving feelings to ourselves, to every cell of our body. Let us lovingly accept and embrace all our downfalls, pains, failures and imperfections. Likewise, let us lovingly acknowledge our strength, highs and victories. With gracious humility, let us allow ourselves to be proud of and love ourselves. Because kindness and self-love leads to contentment with ourselves and the world. Only then can we love others with the true love of which the Apostle Paul writes. Because love is everything and without love we are nothing.