"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him." C.S. Lewis
And, as usual, I found Lewis to be extremely wise. Also, I came to a new conclusion. I don't think this is exactly what he was trying to get at, (Here, Lewis is discussing the importance of loving our neighbors even when we do not want to--when we feel we do not love them. Please take the time to investigate his words yourself, they are wonderful.) but thinking on this quote led me to thinking about love...
I decided that love is more a verb than a noun. As a noun, it becomes nearly impossible to describe. It becomes a feeling, oftentimes a fleeting feeling that no one can really explain or wrap their minds around. It is beautiful as a noun, but as a verb it becomes concrete. Let me explain...
I know there are different kinds of love and different terms used to describe each kind--I can appreciate that. For now, I am going to lay all that aside and speak in general terms: When someone says, "I love you," what does that mean? As Lewis points out, we love people through our actions--possibly kind words, but it needs to be reinforced through action.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18
I believe that when someone says, "I love you," it should be a statement of the obvious. When I say those three little words to people, I expect them to not be surprised. When I tell people that I love them, I want to say it all day long through the actions I take, not just the words spilling forth through my lips. I want them to know that I love them and to know it without a doubt. I don't want them to question my love for them; they should not need to hear me say those words. When I choose to say the words audibly, I don't want to make people do a double-take. I'd rather they smile with a look that says, "Lauren, I already knew that." I don't think there is anything magical in actually saying the words. Hearing them sometimes is music to the heart, I know this, but if there are no actions to verify the words as truth, they quickly are discovered to be hollow.
It is much more difficult and original to tell someone you love them without words. To be in love is mystical. To love someone is fact. I don't want to fall in love--I want to love and be loved. For now, I am going to view love as a verb. It is time for us, brothers and sisters, to close our mouths and let our hands do some talking.
I like this a lot :)
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