Love

      What is love? How do you define love? Is there a set definition? Does everyone have a different definition of love? Does an individual’s background and life story change their definition of love? Why do people show love differently? Is love a need? Does every person love at least something in their life?

      I could go on and on with questions relating to love, but you get the point. Love is unique to each person. I recently heard a definition of love that I really liked and got me thinking.

    “M. Scott Peck said, "One result of the mysterious nature of love is that no one has ever, to my knowledge, arrived at a truly satisfactory definition of love. In an effort to explain it, therefore, love has been divided into various categories: eros, philia, agape; perfect love and imperfect love, and so on. I am presuming, however, to give a single definition of love, again with the awareness that it is likely to be in some way or ways inadequate. I define love thus: The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another's spiritual growth." (The Road Less Traveled, 1978, p. 81)”

         I love this! A big takeaway that I get from this is that love and sacrifice go hand in hand. You can apply that to yourself as well as others. If you love yourself, then you might forgo immediate pleasures in order to have something else down the road that will bring you even greater joy. If you love someone, then you will give up things in order for them to be happier.

         When I think about this, it is even more obvious to me that Heavenly Father truly and fully loves us children. I personally do not think it is easy for Heavenly Father to see His children suffering. He understands that as He allows some of our temporary comfort to be gone that it will turn around and bless us so much more in the future. But I still do not think it is easy for Him to watch us struggle.

         In the Book of Mormon in the book of Alma, in chapter 60, there is a war going on and it is a hard time for the people that believe in God. In verse 13 it states,

         “For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God.”

          This shows that Heavenly Father suffers with His children when they go through trying times. However, He does so with a greater and grander purpose in mind for us. Isn’t that amazing? That is love.

         Jesus Christ’s Atonement was the greatest act of love for us. He went through pain that we could never even begin to comprehend in order to make it possible for us to change and be better.

         “And my Father sent me that I might be lifted upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me”. (3 Nephi 27:14)

         If that doesn’t sound like the definition that I mentioned above then I don’t know what would. Jesus Christ extended Himself in order to nurture us and help us become who we need to be.

         Defining love is hard and there are a lot of question when it comes to love and what that looks like. However, we have a perfect example of true love. I believe that as we try to follow in Christ’s steps and show the kind of love that He showed-especially within our families-life can be so wonderful and happy.