The only people who are truly happy are those who have learned to live for others. When we truly love others, we are perceptive about their relationship to their own lives and not overly concerned about their relationship to our lives. We love them because they exist, not because they earn it. Only God offers us unconditional love – the rest of us are just practicing. When we are filled with God’s love, we always have enough to share. What will really matter when we die – the kind of house we lived in, car we drove or how much money we had in the bank? No. Our lives will have meaning only if we’ve taken the time to truly love someone.
My husband and I like to go for walks around the cemetery. Looking at the markers is always good for personal perspective adjustments. I often stop and read the headstones. The limited space on the grave marker demands the surviving loved ones limit their descriptions of the departed to a few words like “loving mother” - “gentle husband” – “precious child.” What few words do we want to describe us? When I read the simple phases chiseled in the granite, I always leave with a clearer focus about what matters most. Our ability to love those closest to us will determine the quality of our life.
Who will hold us in their arms when we die? Who will care that we lived at all? Who will miss our presence? Why do we so often spend time on things that matter least instead of people who matter most? When we focus our time, energy and affection on people, we have the same priorities as our Creator.
1 comment:
Great insights. I just read a scripture that talks about how true love, in it's purest form, (charity) is what it means to be God. So everything we do here on earth in the gospel is centralized around the family because that's where we're really practicing to become Gods. That's what makes life worth living- when you live a life full of love.
Post a Comment