Love is expensive

Is it worth the cost?

"I've been saving for legos, but I want you to have it." And with that, the 8-year-old shoved 4 wrinkled dollars into his uncle's hand. The boy had, indeed, been saving. From the moment his teacher instituted a points system for good behavior, he'd been doing his best. Five good days in a row, his parents promised, would earn him a dollar. Now his generous heart compelled him to give it away to someone he felt needed it more.

His love came at a cost. It had taken him 10 weeks to accrue those 4 dollars; a moment to give away.

Love is expensive. It costs us in many ways. Time. Money. Energy. Emotions. Sometimes health. Very rarely, it costs someone their life. That's the ultimate sacrifice, don't you think? It reminds me of a scripture I learned long ago:

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

At least one website (Listverse) collects stories of self-sacrifice of epic proportions: People who die to save the lives of others. You can read some of the stories here and here.

Dying for someone else isn't for everyone. But love? Yeah. Love is for everyone.

I'm not advocating a syrupy kind of love, or a co-dependent kind of love. But I am advocating that we love others in a way that builds them up and supports them. We'll look out for their best interest. We'll be patient and kind. But we won't harm ourselves in the process, or allow someone else to control us. Remember that the biblical injunction is to love others as we love ourselves.

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Scripture: John 15:13; Matthew 22: 37-39