You Never Know What You Have Until It’s Gone

It’s easy to take for granted what we have, especially in todays society. I can remember growing up where relationships were at the top of the agenda. People actually mattered. Now, our lives are so busy and filled with stuff that we don’t have time to notice what’s around us. There have been some deaths in my own family, or people who are no longer in my life, and I can remember thinking how much better life was when they were here. At the time, I was so consumed in what I was doing that I never noticed how much they meant to me until after the fact. My prayer is that we begin to take notice of what we have now and how valuable those people are around us. They’re here now, but not for long. 

Love without an agenda…

Ok, we all know it’s easy to love our friends and family even when they may get on our last nerve. This is an easy given because we can see under the aggrevation they’re causing us and know they actually love us back. So this love without an agenda is when our spouse/family member/friend gets something from us they’re not expecting and we’re not looking for anything in return. No, not really. That is part of it, but I’m talking about going the extra mile, walking in someone else’s shoes. You see, it’s easy to do things for those who are close to us, but what about people we don’t know, or someone we’re not really friendly with? You see, when the Bible speaks of how we’re to interact with others is simple. Loving those who love us is easy, but what does it get us? The 2 greatest commandants are to love God with our whole being and to love others as ourself. We can’t use the excuse that they’re unlovable, because we too have been unlovable at times. This love is an unselfish love when we love without getting anything in return, because it’s this very love that breaks down the walls and opens eyes and in turn gives you something much more important than anything physical. When you give without the expectation of getting anything in return, this is a true love. With true love, you can reach deeper and go further than imagined. You can cut to the soul. The next time you think of not being as gracious to someone as you could be, think about why they’re not being as lovable as you would like them to be, because it could very well be that they have already run into someone like them and just needs to see some love.