What is love? "Love is a many splendored thing" as one famous old love song goes. But 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says it all: "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Take a look inside your heart. What do you see? Is your heart filled with love or hatred? How can you sow love in action and not just in words?
MERCIFUL
First, be merciful. One of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus is stated in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” If someone owed you P2000 while another owed you P500 and you choose to write off the loan and forgive both, who do you think will love you more? The more you hold a grudge over someone who has betrayed you, the more you will feel pain and anxiety. If someone approach you today asking for help and you have the capability to grant the request now or as soon as possible, please don’t wait for tomorrow. Otherwise, it may be too late. When you see a family or children in tattered clothes begging for small change, you may give them your food to go instead of turning the other way. You cannot describe the joy that you will feel when you share something with people you don’t know and who cannot return the favor.
ATTENTIVE
Next, learn to be attentive to the needs of others. But you don’t have to look very far. Do you spend quality time with your family? Or do you fidget and scream when they disturb you in your workplace, especially when you work from home? Take the time to actually look at your child and appreciate what he or she does for the first time like that first smile, first word and even the first step. Make your child the center of your attention even for just a brief moment because the wonderful memory of your presence will be embedded in the subconscious mind forever.
RESPECTFUL
Be respectful of everyone, regardless of age, sex, religious belief or political affiliation. You may not agree with the opinion of your next-door neighbor, family member or friend, but that is not a reason to malign someone or wish him bad. The social media has been the center or debates or debacles that instead of uniting people to work for a common cause for the good of humanity, it has become an instrument of destruction and division. Now that the traffic is getting worse, instead of yelling at the other driver who cuts your path, just give way and be courteous. Be the one to follow the rules even if others won’t just to avoid incidence of road rage. You spare yourself of stress and inconvenience. You also save your car from being bumped or dented.
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Respect life in all its form, class or stage, i.e., from the unborn child to the elderly, the sick or the dying, persons who are differently-abled like the deaf, mute or blind or even the crippled. Be good stewards of nature. Protect the environment. Start with baby steps. Keep that used candy wrapper inside your bag or pocket instead of throwing it on the street. Don’t make the road your own personal trashcan. Find ways to recycle, reuse and reduce waste material.
YOUTHFUL
Know how to be youthful. When you're young, you don't judge. You accept everyone at face value. You become childlike and not childish. You are also meek and humble at heart. You have so much trust because you believe that there is something good in every person that you meet instead of harboring evil thoughts.
Give love not just on special occasions but every day. How to love daily? Be M.A.R.Y. (Merciful, Attentive, Respectful, Youthful)