More Thoughts on Love

I wrote this back over Thanksgiving break, and came across it in my drafts tonight. I read it, and decided, why not, I'll post it! 

Have you ever noticed that when you start to think on a certain concept, or a set of concepts in my own case, and meditate on the meaning of that thing, how it applies to your life, everything you see or hear seems to give you a greater understanding or even more of a reason to go deeper into that concept?
Did I lose you in that great run-on sentence?
I certainly would have lost myself.
Most people who read my blog know about how I have been thinking a lot on the concepts of love and beauty, and as I meditate on these two ideas, more and more of what I read, see, and hear touches on these topics. It gives me more fuel for my fire so to speak, and I end up ruminating on it more than before.
For example, I log on to twitter this morning and see a couple tweets, one after another, saying something about love:
"Love keeps no record of wrongs, but bitterness keeps detailed accounts."
"Holiness equals love."
This brings up and interesting point in my mind.
What exactly is love?
Is it the warm and fuzzy feeling that you get when you're around those you care about?
Is it being there for someone who needs you?
I guess it's a combination of all of those. Showing people you love them can simply mean being there for them when they need you, texting a friend to say that you care, eating dinner with your family. It's not complicated.
Or is it?
It takes courage to love.
The love of Christ took Him to the cross. To show his love he was beaten bloody, taunted, hung on a cross, killed. That took courage.
If you were commanded to die for those you love, would you prove that you actually love them, or would you live and forsake that claimed love?
If I were to be truthful, I would have to tell you that there are very few that I love to that extent.
And even though we are called to love as Jesus loved, as Jesus loves, I believe that there are very few people who love with the same courage that He calls us with which to love.