LOVE...
A few months ago I had my brother (who is a professional tattoo artist) tattoo the Greek word for "Agape" on the inside of my left wrist. I have always wanted a tattoo on my wrist, but I didn't want just any tattoo. I wanted one that meant something to me. After spending several years thinking about it, I finally decided on the word "Agape" written in it's original language. I chose this word because of the unconditional LOVE Jesus Christ has for me - and what better place to put it than the place (or close to) where the nails pierced my LORD's hands/wrists so that I can spend eternity with Him!
The reason I chose this word is for it's meaning. Agape means "unconditional love". This is the kind of love Christ Jesus has for us. There is nothing we could do that would make Him stop loving us. Many people now days think they have unconditional love for others. Especially if you ask an engaged couple, or a newly married couple, they might both tell you that they share an Agape love. Unconditional. Yet, the minute one of them leaves wet clothes in the washer for three days and forgets to put them in the dryer (and we all know what happens when wet clothes sit in the washer)... somehow that unconditional love finds itself hiding in a closet buried deep beneath a pile of smelly shoes. Sometimes it doesn't have to be an act that can set the other person off, it can be a sentence said with the wrong inflection. A sentence meant to be harmless that was taken the wrong way, and in a matter of seconds the whole neighborhood knows that you are fighting.
So what does REAL unconditional love look like??
Unconditional love is:
...respecting the person who disrespects you.
...loving the person who hates you.
...speaking kind words to the person who just spoke hatefully to you.
...being kind to the one who was just rude to you.
...sharing with the person who is capable of getting something for themselves.
...being kind to someone even when they hurt you.
...loving a person and being kind and forgiving them, even if they have wronged you.
I think the key to unconditional love is FORGIVENESS.
In order to TRULY be able to love someone in this way, you have to forgive them when they do things that might make you angry or hurt, etc. Jesus forgives every sin we have committed our whole lives (if we ask Him to). We, in turn, should continually forgive others, EVEN if they don't ask us to, and ESPECIALLY when they don't deserve it.
This is unconditional love.
I have a reminder on my wrist. I put it there so I would always see it. To remind me to have this kind of love for others, and also to remember the kind of love my LORD has for me. :)
