How I Define Love

   Love. Love is all we need. If we study it and study ourselves and study our ability to love . . .
   We stand well the chance of transforming ourselves into God's own.
   Love. If we realize it is treating others well when they ill-treat us. If we can see through our jealousies, and through the moments when our friends do so well that we are tempted to think of them as enemies . . .
   We will be practicing the essence of love.
   Love isn't just an utterance, although that can be a beginning point. It isn't just saying, "Love the person, but not the sin," though such a statement can be true. Unfortunately, such a declaration can also be letting ourselves off the hook.
   Love? How do we know if we are loving? How do we know if we really love our enemies, and those who despitefully use us, and those who have different beliefs and values?
   By how we treat them.
    Ye shall know them by their fruits, the gospel teaches, and it is so. I may be wrong on this, but I think not: If you can greet all persons warmly (all persons, extending all the way to the murderer), if you can think good thoughts and see good in all people and not just the negatives (as opposed to never finding any good in, say, a politician), if you can wish for every person to do well and to succeed and prosper . . .
    Then, you know the meaning of love. You know love, and you have a love of God and of all men.
    This is not a standard I have attained. But I am striving. Bless us all, that we might get there.