A family of a man, his aged mother, his wife and young daughter once were visited by three friends. While the family was inside the house, they heard a knock on the door. The gentleman went to the door to answer the door.
On opening the door he saw three men. The first introduced himself as ‘faith’, the second as ‘hope’ and the third as ‘love.’ They said they were visiting him and if he invited the right person in the other two would follow. However if he invited the wrong person in, the other two would leave. Confused by such an offer, he consulted his family. His aged mother said, “Call ‘faith’ in, we need a lot of it.” The wife said “Call ‘hope’ in for we are struggling.” However, the young daughter said “Papa, please call ‘love’ in for that will bind us.”
The father listened to the counsel of the young daughter and went to the door and announced to his guests that he was inviting ‘love’ in. Strangely the other two followed love. When you invite love into your life, faith and hope follow without doubt.
Life is all about love. Learning to love unselfishly is not easy. It runs counter to our self-centerd nature. Love should be our top priority. Without love, we are bankrupt.
Love leaves a legacy. How you treat others has an most enduring impact; not the wealth and accomplishments you achieve.
Persons who minister to dying patients often say that when a person is near his or her end he or she does not ask for the awards they received or the diplomas they earned. They want around them people who they love. In the final moments of our life we realise that relationships are all that matter and relationships are all about love.
Time is a very important commodity, a precious gift. You can make money but you cannot make time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you will never get back. This is the greatest gift that you can give another. Substitute the word ‘time’ with ‘love’ and you will recognise the joy of giving. You can give without love but you cannot love without giving.
Why is now the best time to express love? Because we don’t know how long we will have the opportunity. If you want to express love it is best to do it now.
(The writer is an organisational and behavioural consultant. He can be contacted at ttsrinath@vsnl.net)
