Αγάπη

ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ, [ἡ ἀγάπη] οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται, οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν, οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει. ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει·

In any language, they are among the most famous collection of words ever written. But when you really look into the definitions of the word LOVE, they truly embody the power love can hold. Is it possible to give that kind of love to someone in that many ways and to that magnitude of meaning, without putting them on a pedestal which could doom that very love to failure? Is it possible to receive it and not be overwhelmed to the point of feeling the need to run from it? Perhaps if a mutual understanding exists between the giver and receiver, it would truly not fail. After all, it is written, "Love never fails." So, why does it prosper in some lives, but can be a dismal failure in others? Maybe we have lost focus on what it really does mean. There's many different kinds of love. Maybe we just don't focus enough on the meaning behind the intent. So what does it mean when we say "I love you" to someone? Do we tend take it too lightly? How many times have we told someone we love them, only to watch them slip out of our lives later on? Do they take that love with them? Some people view it as an investment, where the love we put into a person should be the same as when it is returned, maybe even with interest. Perhaps if we stop to think about the meaning beyond the word itself, that we will truly appreciate sharing love with someone. Then perhaps it won't sting as much when that person's parallel to our lives has come to an end. Though the act of loving someone may be viewed as simple, it's incredibly complex according to the words used to describe love. But once it's truly understood, the simplicity becomes apparent, and we can understand what we're doing when we love another.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...

Don't just say it. Live it. Peace!

Friends

In the past few days I've been contemplating the friends I have, and the value each person has to me. It dawned on me, what is the definition of a friend, and what must a person do or have, to qualify for such a title? We all have our own interpretations and adaptations for what we would require of someone to be considered to be a friend. And of course, there's the generic, universal definitions. But I really started to think about what makes a person a friend to me?

There's a variety of criteria that seems to go into how we view someone we know. From the casual, to the close, we have people at varying distances to ourselves based on their interactions with us. Often one of the strongest feelings I have when getting to know someone is, "Is this someone I can trust?" In my opinion, trust is one of the fundamental elements of a friendship. Just as mentioned in my "Αγάπη " blog, it's an element of love. And then there's the statement, "No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends." When viewed in that extreme, it's no wonder that our social requirements tend to be so complex. There's always a reason to be a friend with someone, and it's always based on something we share in common.

As I pondered that, I thought, "Wow. Who do I know that I would go to that extreme for?"

Friends come in a variety of ways, and we compartmentalize them. There are work friends, bar friends, school friends, church friends, online friends, friends with benefits, to name a few. There's even some people who in our hearts and minds transcend all of the categories we place others in, those who we feel would be someone we could rely on in any given aspect of life.

There's the ways we communicate with our friends. There's the ever-popular internet. Thanks to social networking websites and email, we can talk to our friends digitally. And some of these friends we've never met in person. It's all just ones and zeros, bouncing back and forth between our computers.

There's the friends with whom we keep in touch by talking on the phone and with text messages. Often, physical distance is a major factor. But over time if we don't see them, the strength of the friendship weakens until the will to maintain contact becomes an afterthought. Distance can be such a strong influence.

There's those who we see on a regular, if not daily basis. Even though it may be face-to-face, the friendship may lack depth. We talk small talk, maybe even attend each others' parties or other social events. Yet the value of those friendships can be shallow.

Then there are the those friends whom we make a consistent effort to maintain contact with. We try almost daily to have some form of contact with them for the sake of building a meaningful, lasting friendship with. They're people we consider worth the energy we spend. But on the flip side, are those people willing to reply in kind? Do they see us in the same way we value them? Unfortunately, it can be a struggle for both sides, and that can happen because of the way lives are as time goes by. I believe it's that mutual desire to maintain and grow that bond no matter what, which defines a strong friendship.

I felt a bit of sadness when I thought about past friends, how some of them used to be close, yet they are fading away into the echoes of memory. Some people would like to justify the loss of a friend because of being hurt or betrayed, or because they moved away, or because time and separation do that to people. What hurts the most is putting forth the effort to keep in touch with people and getting so little in return. It happens to all of us at one point or another. There's the jaded approach in saying that it was time for that friendship to come to an end. But... sometimes it's near impossible to just stop caring that much about people.

The beauty of the human experience is that we can have the friendships we want, in the way we want them to be. While there are a select few people that we choose to give a place in the deepest part of our heart, there will always those who are just another familiar face. I find myself pondering who might value me as much as I value them. In the end, what's important is that we all have value. I wish I had the time and energy to devote to all of my friends. I apologize to those I may be neglecting, but you are in my thoughts.

Life goes on. I hope my friends will still be there during this journey. Peace!