John Powell once wrote a remarkable little book entitled, Unconditional Love. In the book he tells the story of Tommy, a former student of his who died of cancer at age twenty-four. Shortly before he died, Tommy came to Powell and thanked him for a precious insight he had once drawn from one of his classes. Powell had told the class: There are only two potential tragedies in life and dying young isn't one of them. It's tragic to die and not have loved and it's just as tragic to die and not have expressed your love to those around you.
Doctors who research on the human brain tell us that we only use about 10% of our radical brain capacity. Most of our brain cells never get activated, both because we don't need them (they exist for wisdom rather than utility) and because we don't know how to access them. The same doctors too tell us that, paradoxically, two things do help us access them: the experience of love and the experience of tragedy. Deep love and deep pain, together, deepen a soul in a way that nothing else can.
Could that be the reason why Jesus commands us to love as He has loved us? Jesus loved us by dying to His rights; His dues; His glory. At the Cross, He suffered deep pain in deep love. And He calls us to take the queue from Him when it comes to making love a verb.
Everytime you make the decision to value others above yourself by defering to them, there is some pain to the self. Everytime you shift focus to the interest of others at the expense of your own interests, you bring some pain to yourself. And everytime you lay down your rights to build a relationship, you expereince pain.
But it is deep pain and deep love that make sthe work of the Cross a reality in our lives. And the experience of both awakens the brain releasing us to our greater potentials. It is the way to truly stay till the end.
