Whitney Houston sings about the greatest love of all being inside her and in all of us. The lyrics of the song also mentions "believing that the children are our future" and we - all of us, I believe - do subscribe to the same belief.
That is why when it comes to children, we grow weak in the knees and we give way a lot. You don't believe me? Okay, take the example of a madly-in-love couple, who are joined by a common interest in decorations. The get married and their love nest is a 'Taj Mahal' full of knick-knacks and decorative stuff made from all kinds of materials including crystal and very fragile elements.
After some time, they are blessed with their healthy and wonderful bundle of joy that's a testament to their love for each other. Soon, they pack up all the decorative items that used to be their prized possessions they labored with love to collect and acquired - yes those curios that used to be beautifully placed in the best nook and cranny in the house.
Yes for the love of their child, this one and others that may be future blessings, they selflessly forgo other loves. They also remove all stumbling blocks or things that could possibly be the cause of harm or danger. A child being loved this way grows up strong and will love back. [But if they keep telling the baby, "Don't touch this, careful of that, don't go there, don't this..., don't that... most certainly the child grows up uncertain of what to do, cannot reason out why but just obey orders like a robot, or merely out of fear. Worse, if ever despised for disobeying, the child grows up despising others and things they cannot understand.]
This is love, the love that never fails because it is patient, kind, without envy, and neither boastful nor proud. It forgives and do not despise faults or wrongs while at the same time it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
If only this love for their loved one(s) is extended to others around them, i.e. their neighbors (in the widest sense of the word), how lovely would this world be. For then we would not compare, comment and compete to be one-up on others but instead we complement one another by embracing and celebrating each other's strengths and weaknesses. Just as the stronger father and mother are patient and give lots of leeway to the baby, who is definitely the weaker party in the parent-child relationship, we can grow and become stronger in love if we receive and welcome one another, particularly those who seem to be not as strong as us.
If we despise instead of loving, how can folks love us back or not judge us. The moment we think about the possibility of the party we show love to taking advantage of our love and kindness, we are being prejudicial and all we do is show that love isn't the greatest gift after all.
Budi
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