P C  THOMAS: When we think of a person, do you analyze the prime thought floats on your own mind, of him?  Perhaps this is the best way to measure your perfect love for the person.  In fact yourself being bind with your own faults and failures, is it the faults or shortcomings of the other’s that comes first in your mind, or should you have to think first of his positive sides – his kindness, faithfulness, loyalty, reliability, generosity et al?

I have made a story of a ten-year-old-boy who wanted to buy a surprise gift for his mother on her birthday. He went to a textile shop and told to the salesman that he wanted a sweater for his mom, to be given as her birthday gift, but he did not know her size.  The salesman explained that it would help, if he could describe her – “Was she fat, thin, tall, short, or what”?  “My mom is perfectly healthy”, replied the boy quickly.  And, the salesman has given the boy a sweater of medium size.

A few days after, the mother came to the shop along with the child to exchange the sweater, as it was very much short in size, she needs a very larger size.  The salesman asked the boy as to why didn’t you know your own mother’s size? The little fellow’s comment on his own error was remarkable: - “I had seen my mother only through the eyes of love, which always see beyond physical appearances and I was not at all conscious of my mother’s fat body dimension which could be revealed through a measuring tape”.  Great!

Seeing the ones we love through the eyes of love is not always easy indeed.  It looks a conscious effort to change the way we viewed the circumstances. It was rather like putting on glasses and having our visions corrected.  

Obviously, a true love keeps no record of shortcomings. The kindness of love refuses to spotlight the fault or mistakes of others.  It does not mean to say that we are always to be blind to the weakness and wrongdoings of our friends.  Instead we love them beyond their faults, accept them as they are, point out their faults, looking at their best qualities, and wanting their good.

Love does not delight over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things and endures all things.  When negative attitudes quickly surface on us, if glaring character defects always loom up before us, we need to work at seeing others through eyes of love.

Inspiration is all around you – if only you make an effort to look for it with love. Today, consider what inspires you to get out of the bed in the morning. What inspires you to keep working, loving, and living? What particularly inspired you to keep going in 2021? Use today as an opportunity to share your favorite source of inspiration and LOVE with others.