The Gift of Unconditional Love
by
Filed under Inspiration & Encouragement
Have you started shopping for Christmas gifts yet? I haven’t, but I‘ve started making a Christmas gift list for my family and friends. At times it can be challenging to find just the right gift for someone. But no matter what our budget is, all of us can give the “intangible” gift of unconditional love to one another. While this gift cannot be placed in a box, it is truly life changing, not only for those we give it to, but for ourselves as well.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a psychiatrist and author, once wrote something very profound:
“I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. You can find it in a simple act of kindness toward someone who needs help. There is no mistaking love. You feel it in your heart. It is the common fiber of life, the flame that heals our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives. It is our connection to God and to each other.”
This is what the Apostle Paul was writing about in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. The word for love in this chapter is Agape. It’s God’s kind of love. Agape love is unconditional love. Agape love always looks out for the best interest of the other person.
We are expressing Agape love whenever we place the needs of another person above our own. Agape continues to love the other person, even when they are acting unlovable. It is a love that is willing to sacrifice. It is the type of love that can endure hard times and stress. It is a forgiving love.
Unconditional love is the kind of love Jesus spoke about in His sermon on Mount. He said we are to forgive each other, not just 2 or 3 times but 70 X 7. Jesus said that he did not come to be served (which was his right) but to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many. This, of course, is the ultimate example of unconditional love in that it is sacrificial.
As we give unconditional love to others, we will find our own hearts filled with joy and we will know the true meaning of Christmas. May you have a blessed Christmas Season knowing that God loved you so much that He sent His only begotten Son to you so that you could have eternal life.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”
(2 Corinthians 9:15)
