What emotion is the catalyst for all other emotions?
There is such a wide range of emotions from the one most saught after, love, to the one we mostly want to avoid, pain. There are fun, good, emotions like laughter, joy and amazement. Then there are dark, bad, emotions of sadness, loneliness, and desperation. The one thing true about emotions is without the good we would not understand, nor desire to climb up out of the bad.
Most of us have heard the saying, “God is Love.” This makes sense for so many reasons. God created man and woman. He created us out of love. Man and woman make love to create a new life. This connection between two people who love each other can be such an amazing gift. Love is desired in this lifetime.
When two humans love each other, they long to express and show love to each other. When love is new and exciting it is very rewarding to both individuals. Love produces laughter, joy, and connection. Love can be somewhat easy and pleasurable at times.
Over time this desire to show love can become more challenging. Love requires sacrifice. We must sacrifice our own time to give love or do something out of love for someone else. Love requires creativity and effort. One thing for certain is love always requires us to become less self-centered.
When someone we love is injured, we can feel their pain and want to help them. It’s human nature for some of us to want to help and be there to support and connect with someone we love due to injury or loss. This can be very fulfilling and powerful.
One of the greatest examples in my lifetime that I have witnessed this nation pull together to support and love each other and the USA was 9-11. People were compassionate towards one another and realized how quickly life could be lost. People could be stuck in a situation with no escape. People would sacrife their lives for others to escape the burning buildings. People would help others search for their lost loved ones. People would comfort those who had lost someone.
Those who were left behind continue to tell the stories of how they escaped or what they endured that day. There were millions of U. S. flags that people displayed on their homes, on their cars, and on their bodies. This connected people in our country and made us feel that we were supporting and comforting each other to healing. Healing from lost love that moved a nation to support one another.
Those who are hurting need love. This requires our sacrifice of our time, our sleep, our efforts, and our prayers for healing of loved ones who need to heal and recover. This can take time, sometimes a lifetime of recall and sharing of a story. But it does not have to rob anyone or the individual of joy, happiness or love.
Love can require you to endure pain and discomfort. When someone disappoints us, it can cause pain and shame. When we lose someone we love, it can cause deep heart-felt pain. We feel loss. This loss can make us question how we will endure the loneliness or emptiness left in the place of this love. This pain often makes me feel pain for those this person has loved and is now separated from. We will all be separated from each other, but we are never separated from God. For He promises that “He will never leave us, nor forsake us.” - Deuteronomy 31:8
When we love doing something, like a sport, we dedicate hours of our time to this passion. These hours often produce blood, sweat and tears, real physical pain. And yet, the chance or desire to feel victory, allows us to endure.
When success or an accomplishment is received in the sport or activity we love, it produces elation, laughter, and joy. This feeling of “winning” trumps all the sacrifice, pain and effort dedicated to this sport or activity.
God sent Jesus to us out of love. He longed for all man and woman to spend eternity with Him feeling complete love. Love is something that we cannot buy, but we all long for love. Jesus paid the price for all who believe, so that we may reel the rewards of victory for eternity in God’s loving presence.
If you have loved, then you know what it’s like to sacrifice for someone else. Love can undeniably be the best feeling in the world, and yet so many other emotions spill out from love. My hope is that you will choose love and to be loved.
Deuteronomy 31: 8
“ The Lord Himself goes before you; He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, Do not be discouraged.”
Comments