Can we reach it?

Love is an interesting concept...

I think in this world it really gets twisted into something wrong, when really, love should be a beautiful thing! They mention love many times in the scriptures--just the love that they mention is different from, I think, the way the world now perceives it.

I believe that God's love is different--in a very good way! I believe that worldy love is only a temporary state, when the Lord's is eternal. Isn't that always the way that it seems to be? The world is only a temporary state--when heaven, and all things good & godly are eternal.

And that's the truth of it! God loves all of His children with an everlasting love!

But how do we gain this everlasting & perfect love?

Thinking about it... I really do think that perhaps in order to gain that love, His never-ending, perfect love--the only way to really gain that love is to feel what that person has felt. Perhaps that's why we have the 13th Article of Faith! "...we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things." Obviously, as humans, we shy away from pain, and we don't want to have to do through painful things--so often this article of faith is a hard one to follow. It says that people of our faith should "hope to be able to endure all things."

Christ is the only one who has literally felt everything.

So, at the moment, He is the only one who can actually feel that perfect, unfailing love for anyone.

I think that's why we have such a hard time being compassionate and loving towards others--because we don't completely understand--or even know what they're going through!

So... no... I don't think that complete, perfect, everlasting love is completely attainable for us in this life--but that doesn't necessarily mean we should just give up!

I remember in my first year of Vanguard a couple of years ago, watching this video. It is just interesting the way they portray it--how this guy is thinking pretty badly about people--being a little selfish--but once he puts those glasses on and sees what everyone is going through, he starts treating them differently!

I think this is one of the kinds of love we can attain in this life! Is to be able to love not perfectly--but to still love with Christ's love--to still care about others! I think we just need to look around and care, and love, just as Christ does! I think one thing that really can help us with this is to ask Heavenly Father to give you that love--to be able to not completely understand, but be able to still sympathize & love as much as possible! :)

~Gracious