just overflowing.. with love..

loving people is heck-a-hard. contrary to what the popular culture likes to put up front, love is no easy thing. i don't mean just romantic relationships - i mean loving one another as people, as friends, as family members, as Christians. it's.. hard. whether it's obeying your parents with a cheerful heart, relating with your friends and siblings with true brotherly / sisterly love, or your just loving your to-be-spouse, everyone knows that it's not easy. well... i dont think it was meant to be easy.

i'm reminded of one of the seminars that was taught by Mr. Machowski at yc'09. he taught that Christian love is one-sided. one-sided as in loving without expecting love in return. 1 John 4:19 - 'We love because he first loved us.' God's love is--or at least should be-- our reason for loving one another. just think. for He so loved the world, that He gave His only son. He sacrificed His ONLY son! that.. that's a lot of love for a fallen race - even knowing that some of them would still reject his open arms. Jesus lived an unselfish life, loving those he came to die for, even those who had him crucified. what selfless love!! to love even your worst enemies - it must have been tough, looking into their eyes while they jeered at him hanging on the cross. all he said was, 'father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' wow.

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His love is definitely a good motivation for loving one another, but it's so hard for me to keep that in mind when relating with my family. it's so hard for me to love one-sided, not expecting anything in return. it's so hard especially without depending on God's strength to aid me. i've been lacking this sense of faith where i turn to God in areas that i think are petty. i guess to God, nothing in our lives are petty to him. if he would send his only son to free us from the bondage to sin, what's there to say that he won't help us in our daily struggles? gah - i wish i could think like this every moment, but i don't.

God, help me. i need you. help me to love my brothers and my sister unselfishly. help me to be patient. help me reflect the life lived by your son - help me live to love without demanding or expecting anything in return.