Love .... true and unconditional

It's something that we all want and few of us ever get. Love in it's purest and most honest form. Typically called True Love or Unconditional Love it means giving of love without the expectation of receiving anything in return.

How many of us do that?

Many these days love with conditions. They will love you IF this or IF that. If you don't fit into these conditions then they no longer love you.

This is not true love.

The good news is that the power of love is held within each of us every moment. This wondrous energy is available merely by our use and conscious recognition. When we choose to love one another we transcend the lower personality perceptions and rise to a higher truth. We recognize our oneness, wholeness and interconnectedness.

This is not a conditional love or the type of love one may try to use to earn favors or expect validation, rather this is a universal and unconditional love that recognizes the beauty in life every moment. It is of a higher nature. It is a natural expression that does not expect an outcome. It is giving just for the sake of giving.

It is in the sharing and giving of love to others that we receive the same that we give. Give love and surely you will experience love itself. Express love to the world around you and the world will reflect back to you the power of love.

Each of us desires to understand and realize this experience of love. Just listen to the lyrics of music and you will quickly see how much the notion of love plays a part in our personal journey of life. We seek it in our families, relationships, careers, religions, hobbies, and even at times we look to nature itself. All the while, it is right within us ready to be given out and experienced.

Love is such a powerful force especially when shared. Biblically, it is explained this way:

"But the LORD said to Samuel, '...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'"
I Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

The Lord isn't even concerned with what we have, or what our profession is or how we look - what we're able to do or not do. God looks at our heart and sees the goodness that lies within.

Another thing I've learned about love is that it is also a devotion and action, not just an emotion. Love is not exclusively based on how we feel. Certainly our emotions are involved, but they cannot be our only criteria for love. True devotion will always lead to action - the action of true love.

Random things that I have learned about True Love:

True love takes much patience and understanding.

True love requires forgiveness and giving.

True love means you don't tire of the person or do anything that will hurt the person intentionally.

True love requires that you do the giving.

If all these things are done properly, true love will actually be returned to you. These days things are so fast paced and everyone is expecting all the time, this I feel is leading to a breakdown in the number of people who really understand what true love is. From what I've observed in other relationships and in my own; people just do not get it. True love is not what you can get, or what someone can give you or do for you. True love is the pleasure of doing for others. It is loving someone just for who they are and not for what they can do for you. And I am not simply referring to romantic relationships but friends, relatives and even strangers. I think it is the most challenging though in a romantic relationship.

Love ... true and unconditional is the best gift we can give to someone else. It is also the best gift we can give to ourselves.