For many today, love is understood to mean that you must accept whomever the person says they are and whatever it is that they choose to do.
This supposedly shows you have respect for the person’s freedom and individuality, and how they choose to express themselves.
Yet, I came across a quote that I’d like for you to think about:
“Announcing the Gospel is the first and greatest act of charity.”
— St. Arnold Janssen
True love always desires the best for the other. And to desire the best for another includes being honest and straightforward with them–even when the truth may be difficult to hear.
It means being unafraid to tell them that they are heading to the edge of a precipice, or that you can see that they are unhappy and seem to not be living out the life they were created to be.
To truly love someone means to be willing to lay down your life to help them become who God created them to be, and not who you want them to be so your life is easier.
But more importantly, love is a choice. To choose the good, the true and the beautiful for the other person that God has graced your life with.
And that brings us back to St Arnold’s quote. The Gospel means Good News. How could we not share the best news ever with the person(s) we love?
So, do you love enough?
