How do you Define Love?

I work with teenagers, and I have for some time. I really enjoy working with them. Last week we lost one of our teenagers. Ellen, a beautiful, compassionate and loving young lady was taken by a horrible crash. She told me years ago that she wanted to be a missionary. After she talked about it several times, I encouraged her and helped her to get on our missions committee. She thrived on that committee and really enjoyed it.

Deciding to be a missionary really means giving up part of yourself to help others know life through Jesus Christ. As I think about the compassion and the love that Ellen had for others, I think that she would’ve been willing to exchange her life on earth so that others might have eternal life in heaven which she is experiencing now. And eternal life cannot be taken away.

I don’t know if that’s true, I’m just thinking out loud. As one famous missionary, John Elliot, has said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

But I also wonder about her parents. I really don’t know them. She is obviously product of a very loving family. Would they give up their child so that others would have eternal life? I have no idea. I would think that they would not raise their hand for that. I can’t imagine raising my hand for that. I cannot imagine volunteering any of my children for that task. But that is exactly what our God has done.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That means that God willingly let his son, his only son, die on a horrible cross so that we could have eternal life.

That is love defined.

Love is not tested by the depth of our feelings or the drama of our experiences. Love is defined by what we are willing to give up, sacrifice and let go of. For Jesus, it was not just doing extra work around the house, forgiving difficult things, having patience when it is difficult or thinking the best motives of others, it was giving his very life after the most intense physical and mental torcher. That is the price He paid, and He calls us to walk in His sandals.

What are you holding onto?