Love Abounds

Recent realisations have convinced me that change is not the only constant in life, contrary to popular belief. There is another entity that has been around from the start of time to the very present - love.

Love existed for a sole purpose - relationship(s). The very first of these was between God and Man. God created Adam out of love. And God later created Eve for Adam, in and also for love. Being human and knowing love, or loving for that matter, seem to be inseparable. For as long as we are human, we will love. It does not only apply for the relationship between two or more people. It has grown to be more complicated over the years. We now coin terms like 'meat-lovers, animal-lovers', purposefully establishing the relationship between themselves and an object of desire to be as strong as the relationship between two people in love. And of course, love takes on many forms, and does not comprise of the sole form modernity claims it has - eros. Love is so much more. It goes past the physical, mental/intellectual, emotional and spiritual. It is quasi-modular, and takes on many forms. Some even say it is the embodiment of our souls.

Modernity, and Hollywood, are the main causes of teenage relationships nowadays. With the ever-increasing number of action-romace films to hit the big screen, this combined with a generation that sees catching movies as part of everyday life, spells disaster. Society has often told us to dare to stretch the limits, push the boundaries; nothing is impossible. With that belief contorted and misinterpreted, teenagers attempt to be the star of their own movie, and start their heroic journey... However, I strongly believe teenagers lack the emotional (and mental) capability to handle relationships. Society has accelerated their emotional growth, and many start seeking love upon entering adolescence. Many claim it is puberty in motion, but really, the idea of teenage relationships was not conceived twenty years ago in Asia. But here it is now, ever so prevalent in today's society.

Have you ever looked around you, noticed the number of teenage couples and felt disgusted? I know I have. I often think, "These kids are wasting their life away; they're going to end up hurt, and they might just possibly commit suicide."

But it is so often found in our being in be judgmental and critical of people, things, and situations. We often think we know better, and adopt the protective "it's-for-your-own-good" method. But if love were to be real and true, this would not work.

Love gives, unreservedly. You do not hold back or try just because others tell you you will get hurt. Sadly, that thought is often at the back of our minds. The fear of commitment and giving is the main cause of the demise of many relationships. We fear getting hurt (again) by someone we love, and thus we would rather hold back and not commit, choosing to believe and accept that love is impossible.

Perhaps I seem like I'm contradicting myself, and you might say teenagers who believe that they can give, can love. Perhaps so, but a relationship takes two - we know the other, but do we know ourselves? Do we know what we seek, what we want in another? Often we would focus so much on the other, that we neglect ourselves, and we realise we've wasted the best years of our life away. There is a time for everything, and youth is precious.

And some will always say love eludes them, for they have been hurt so badly, with wounds so deep time will never heal. These are the people who once did love; they loved freely, unreservedly, only to get hurt. It is true - the more you open up, the more you could get hurt. That holds us all back some time or the other. Reality check: we live in a dog-eat-dog world; betrayal and back-stabbing surround us everyday.

So then, how do we love freely?

And more importantly, why do we love?

We love, because He first loved us.

And at the end of the day, it all comes back to Gee-Oh-Dee. Love is God-centred.

*****

But can I, in two days time, be found safe in His Love? Or will I fall because my security is not in Him? These few nights have brought me close to tears on several occasions, and I'm running out of ways to numb the maelstrom of feelings that will soon erupt and cause chaos.

A year back, and things were so fine. A year back, and I did love unreservedly and gave freely. A year back your smile was perfect, innocent, and untainted. But things have come between us, and you never have been that happy anymore. You may be content, but you're not happy. I know you too well.

A year back, and you were thankful for what little I gave. Now I feel that the most costly of all gifts would not appease you. A year ago, you could not sleep without calling to make sure I was fine, and ask how my day went. Now I know you sleep soundlessly without me in your mind. A year ago, I cried when you cried, smiled when you smiled. Now you're smiling when I'm in tears.

It's 1.23am now. Time to cry myself to sleep thinking of you.

(No this post has nothing to do with a romantic relationship. It deals with the loss of something more important than that. Breakups leave you shattered for 3 months; the loss of a best friend leaves you shattered for more...)