What is Love?

To define the meaning of love is an age old question with many answers. I was recently asked this question to which I replied, "To lay down your life for another."  Indeed.  This would have to pose as an ultimate form of love, for sure, but how can it apply to all that the vast meaning of the word that love has to offer?  Specifically, how can this definition of love describe what it means to love a city?  It would appear that the inclusion of this definition into such a context would assimilate as such... To love a city means to lay down your life for it. 

A popular and well know scripture verse states, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (ESV John 3:16). Anyone who knows the story of the Bible knows that the ultimate form of love that God showed to the humans he created was laying down his life for them.  He did this by sending his son Jesus Christ to die for their sins.  For those who believe this story to be true and submit to Jesus as their savior, they are made a new creation.  As such, the heart they once had begins a transformation enabling them to conform to the image of Christ the Son.  As Christ laid down his life out of love, now the people who follow in his ways are able to lay down their life out of love. 

Foremost, as I am a follower of Christ, I must note that the ultimate reason for us to lay down our life is to be in complete submission to God. Laying down our life for God is number one. It is the top priority.  For anything else to rise above it would be idolatry, no matter how good the cause. 

I must make something else clear too before proceeding.  It is vital to understand that life is more than the essence of being alive. A persons life includes the totality of ones inspirations, dreams, goals, and so forth.  Therefore, there are many ways to lay down your life for someone or something out of love.  For example, being a Christian will often require you to lay down your life for the gospel.  This might mean that you give up youthful dreams of becoming a rock star to put more time and effort into the work that God has called you too.  Or it could mean that you change your career to have more time to do what God has called you to, even though it may have been a life goal to finish school and have that career. These are just a couple of examples of how some people may be led to lay down their life for the gospel.  In any case, it will usually come to laying down selfish wants and needs for the needs and wants of someone or something else. 

Now we must ask, what does it mean to lay down your life for your city? There are many ways a person might come to terms with this question and usually the answers will vary from person to person. However, looking back to what it means for a person to lay down their life should make it clear.  The question could be rephrased as such, what does it mean to give up your selfish wants and needs for the needs of the city?  Now this is a question that requires thought and internal evaluation.  

If you do not know the needs of the city you live in than this is the place to start.  Find out what the needs are in your city.  Do some research and find out what steps people are already taking to fill these needs. Ask yourself, why am I not involved in trying to help my city change for the better?  Usually some of the answers from that question will show you where you may need to lay down your life to love your city.  Maybe your schedule does not work well with the things you need to do to be involved in your community. You might have to be willing to change your schedule and give up some of the personal plans you have to be a part of the community and get involved in your neighborhood.  Maybe you feel like staying in and watching a movie but instead you go out to a local event and get to know some of the people there.  You hear their story and see how the story of the gospel relates to it and share that with them. 

A lot of people complain about the state their city is in.  I hear it in Cincinnati often. Most of the time I believe this is a selfish complaint, however.  People complain about the city because it does not meet their needs and wants or because they are not proud of where are they from.  These complaints may be valid and they may even come from a pure heart at times.  Regardless, how is complaining ever going to change the city?  It never will.  Only truly loving the city will ever make a difference.  What will you do to love your city?