Last night while I was at bible study (bible study seems like such a generic word to use for this particular group...i havent figured out what to call it) we got into a semi debate about whether or not unconditional love is something that is attainable by humans. One particular person argued strongly that it most certainly does not, while pretty much everyone else opposed. He argued that someone can claim unconditional love, for instance a couple married for 60 years, but then if the dad kills the daughter, or something major like that, then thats where the unconditional love would end. He argued that as imperfect human beings we are completely incapable of loving unconditionally even though some people can get close. I'll admit that his argument angered me and I thought long and hard about it. I have to believe that unconditional love exists and I know it does. And this is why...the Bible says (i cant remember where) "there is no greater love then for someone to lay down their life for another". Christ walked around among us talking about this unconditional, agape love, but it wasnt until he died for us that we saw he really meant it. Dying for someone, becoming a sacrifice, shows a unconditional love b/c it shows that even the loss of your life isnt a condition with which to choose love...it shows that love goes beyond this life. Wih that said, there are many stories we hear about in everyday life in which someone deicides to give there life for another. Just recently a father left his family to hike across the Oregon wilderness in order to seek help. This decision for his family cost him his life. We also hear about soldiers in the battle field, willing to give their lives for the men next to them and for their country...this type of love I believe is unconditional as well. I believe that love becomes unconditional when a person is willing to or does choose that the life of the person he/she loves becomes more important than their own. And that is how this agape love manifests itself in our imperfect human lives and we are all capable of showing it the way Christ showed it to us.
the subway in the bernhard center is the most efficiently run fast food place I have ever been to...the taco bell/pizza hut across from it is the worst...
God Bless
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Deep dude. I believe an important distinction that we did not make is that it is improbable for a person to reach the point where they love everyone unconditionally all the time. However, in the sweet moments when one rises above self, a human can act in agape love. And that is a big part of what Christianity is all about. God loves us with agape... we pass that on to others as best we can by learning from the master.
I would not exactly consider myself an optimist, though sometimes I wish that I were ;) But I do think that I have to believe unconditional love is not only a possibility but is alive and real. If not, what are we, as Christians, doing here? Yes, we are human, yes we falter; and of course one can find a case study of any kind to dispute unconditional love.
If I honestly sit down and think about the people I truly love, and think of scenarios that would perhaps make me wonder if I could continue to love them, I come to the conclusion that I can't think of anything that would make me stop loving them. Isn't that why love can hurt so much? People we care about can hurt us, and we still love them. We don't wander around with big smiles on our faces and love as if it isn't a challenge sometimes. Jesus suffered for His love; and for me, I think that makes it even more real. If love was easy, it would be meaningless.
The challenge is to learn to apply this to not only those we love in our families and friendships, but also mankind at large.
Post a Comment