Listen to This...

So I have a good friend whom I've known for quite some time recently enter somewhat of a relationship with another friend. Now I know that both of these people will be reading this post so I will call them Caleb and Hannah. So Hannah is really down and texts me the weirdest question I've ever had to answer. She said, "Why would someone care about me? Well, being a bit flabbergasted I answered with several responses including how God cares, how parents care (or are suppose to), how boyfriends care, how friends care, and lastly, how I care in a loving sister protective sense if you get my drift. Well, I thought that was a good, solid answer, but I was still lightly tiptoeing around because I knew she must be really depressed or something to ask that. Well, she hit me with another slammer asking if I thought that Caleb cared about her. Now here's where Caleb comes in; Caleb cannot date yet but Hannah can and they have decided to wait until their older so that they can officially start the relationship. I believe that Caleb doesn't fully grasp the fullness of what a relationship entails, and doesn't exactly have the maturity to carry it out. (then again, not many do, including myself) Yeah, already setting up for either great success, or heartbreaking failure, but none in between. Just kidding, but do you see my point of view? Anyway, I think Hannah was just asking to feel a little security....in Caleb....I guess. Anyway, back tot he underlined bit. Truthfully I had to think about this one for a bit. But I finally came up with this answer....

"Honestly, I think that (Caleb) thinks that he cares about you. I think that's how all of us are. The fact is, no one in our society except for quality parents for their children, seems to know what caring really truly entails. Caring is an outcome of love. An example is a well-known story of two soldiers, and when the grenade comes between them, one man dives onto the grenade shielding the other and laying his life down for his friend. That is true brotherly love. Sacrifice. It's truly loving someone to the point where you would lay down your life for them. That is the potency of caring and not a ton of people realize that. Even myself. So when we offhandedly say caring nowadays, it means more of "will they listen to me and hold me." So yes, I think Caleb "cares" for you. Our perception of love says that, yes, he cares for you. But how deep that care goes, I wouldn't be able to tell you."

Good answer huh? I thought so, and my fingers were sore and it took like five messages to send it, but that's not the point. It got me thinking, Do I really know what it means to care for someone that much? Can you still care for someone if it's just an offhanded caring? Can you still call it caring? For the few people that I "care" about, how deep does my love go? Now I'm not talking about secular society love. Love isn't just between man and woman or deep relationships (which I won't even get into), its that purest emotion? feeling? drive? motivation? of all that can exist only because of God. God is love, and it is only through Him that we can love others, truly love others. Love is just such a huge and sometimes confusing topic. I don't think I can even say that I love my friends. I mean, I can imagine laying down my llife for certain people without much thought because I have such a bond to them. But God calls us to love and lay down our lives for our ENEMIES. ENEMIES???! Those people that I hate!? Yes, and I cannot even fathom doing that. Especially for my immediate family. I would probably kill my sisters. Yeah, this is how far off I am from the truth here.

Now I'm not saying at all that I have any of this or maturity or love or even God for that matter. I am merely putting my thoughts into words so that anyone can see what I'm realizing and pondering. Isn't it a tricky subject? If anyone has anything to add, please do so. I would like to see everyone else's point of view here. Thanks for listening to my ramblings. :)
-Jayzk