The Gift of Love by jeffrey

The Gift of Love by jeffrey - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

One of the greatest teachers in my life I have never met in person; nor, have I talked to him as one would with their neighbor, their peer, or their boss, but I spoke with him in an even greater intimacy. In his forbearance he knew me - he knew me well and I, in part, knew him. This person I am referring to is Jesus, and the greatest lesson he has taught me was about the gift of love, and the great ripples it can make in someone’s life, made evident by said ripples in my life. His face, I have never seen; his voice, I have never heard, and his scent, I’ve never smelled; yet, the lesson of love he has taught me has transcended the mere physical and, with a mighty roar, it has broken the rusty shackles of bondage.

Jesus has taught me a wide array of lessons that could also been seen as practical, such as, the intricacies of pride through his many vessels,to put others above my own selfish ways, that I should be accountable in all situations, to discern and acknowledge one’s own imperfections, and that at all times I must be sober-minded and faithful. But the significance of his lesson on the gift of love is that it is exalted above all else, and at the same time it encompasses all else as well. Isn’t that simply beautiful?

Love is easily accessible; all that is required is that in the same manner that Jesus has opened his heart to me, I must open my heart wide to him. Such knowledge I have recently come to appreciate because even if I may not feel his love, his love is and will always be there. His love is unconditionally enduring; which can be seen as intrinsically the essence of love. Therefore, the idea of love cannot be simplified to a mere feeling or emotion, instead it has to be grasped in its wholly truth: love is an ability.

You must have the ability to love. Jesus loved me because his father loved him. All things come into the world from God but they come by way of the son. I could never truly love someone if I have not experienced perfect love - I can’t give what I don’t have, right? This is where Jesus’ teachings come into play. He spoke with authority and grace, teaching me to be more like him, to be more humble, to be more trusting, to not delight in evil, but to rejoice with an overwhelming sense of joy in the light. His teachings have not always been easy to swallow, but you realize along the way that there is a plan greater than yourself; hence, another revelation about love: it is bigger than one man. To love to gratify one’s self is not love.

Love is not selfish, it is selfless. Love is not temporary, it is lasting. Love is not lust, it is fulfilling, it is intimate, and it is pure. How deep, and how long, and how wide is the love of Christ that no man can even grasp the foothill of it’s infinite abundance? He taught me the intricacies of pride though his many vessels, and why I should move to consider others better than myself.

In conclusion, God’s words have become life and health to a man like me in the process of reconciliation. Again, I never knew him but he knew me. He sought me when I didn't want to be found. He revealed himself when I never asked; yet, by his love, his mercy and his cavalry I have come to know grace. He sprung life in a once dead man - he became poor, so that I may become rich. I cannot and I shall not mistake God’s presence in my life for another because in his teachings, in his being, he gave me the gift of love.