Love is An Action
For love to last, realising it is an action as much as it is a feeling is crucial.
Image by Mansur Gavriel
Actions have the power to add weight to words. You could tell someone that you love them everyday, however, if your behaviour doesn’t coincide with the words you speak, chances are, they aren’t going to believe you. Actions require emotional investments words do not, which is why to display your love, showing someone is as important as telling someone. But do we make the mistake of believing if the feeling of love isn’t there constantly, we should just give up?
Modern life can come with ease and speed. A large proportion of us have the luxury of being able to sit back and allow things to work out. If we encounter a problem, there’s almost always a number we can call, a button to press or a carefully designed algorithm that can solve whatever may be wrong. Choices and decisions are everywhere and we constantly await the next best thing. This can put as at risk of becoming a culture where we expect things to work out with little or no effort involved- including love.
“The effort of love during these times is a conscious decision we make to accept those around us exactly as they are.”
Love has many faces and with each version, difficulties occur, and these are difficulties we all encounter. Friends may do things we do not agree with, partners may break our trust and family members will challenge us. It is when facing hurdles like this, that it may seem love does not naturally fit. At this stage, it can seem like giving up is the easier option. However, it is during these times, where the feeling of love is not enough, that to behave in a way that’s loving is an action more important than ever.
“It is our behaviour and actions that concrete the meaning of love.”
The effort of love during these times is a conscious decision we make to accept those around us exactly as they are. It may be as simple as telling them we forgive them for any past wrong-doings and then continue to behave in a way that remains loving towards them. Throughout The Bible, love is consistently referred to as ‘patient’ and ‘kind’. This serves as a reminder that it takes time, a strong will and tonnes of determination for it to be something that works as well as something which lasts.
In the Christian faith, the top two commandments are to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbour. In this context ‘neighbour’ refers to everyone around us, not literally the people that live next door to us. It may seem that love in these circumstances is undeserved, and hard to show as there is no feeling for it. But it is at this point, that the love we give is no longer selfish or self-seeking but rather selfless. Again, it’s shown that love is an action rather than an emotion. Through showing this selfless love to those around us, our neighbours are able to discover the same love for themselves. Experiencing this type of love has the potential to inspire others to act in the same way towards their neighbours.
It is our behaviour and actions that concrete the meaning of love. If you have a faith, or if you do not, for love not to fail means patience and hard work have to be involved. Love is as love does- when the algorithm has found our perfect partner, it’s down to us to ensure that love continues.
Words by
Ellie Dalton