The Greatest Love of All

Whitney got it wrong when she sang "The Greatest Love of All" ...learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all... That's not true at all. I don't think I could ever love "me". I tolerate "me", most people do. But love? Nah. My goal in life is to have and keep God in my heart. Only He can put love there, because God is love.

I was driving home from work yesterday, listening to the radio. I like the stories I hear on NPR. Sometimes I'll sit in my car, parked in front of my house, my road trip completely finished, and I'll be sitting there with tears streaming down my cheeks, or laughing my head off, or just quietly musing. There's something enrapturing about not seeing a face and hearing a voice full of emotion talking to me about total strangers in distant lands. I was listening to Cpl. Jason Dunham's parents describe their son, the grin that went on forever, the sparkle in his eye that no longer is. Dunham was killed in Iraq two years ago and his parents received his Medal of Honor from President Bush this week. What did Dunham do to receive such an honor? He personified John 15:13. In this verse, God Himself describes what the greatest love of all is. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." In a split second, as Dunham realized that there was a grenade at his feet dropped by the Iraqi who had just grabbed him by the neck, he took off his Kevlar helmet and put it over the explosive. His actions saved the lives of his fellow Marines. But 8 days later, he died. The reporter asked Jason's dad what could have caused Jason to act so instinctively. He said it wasn't instinct, not at all. Even though it happened so fast, Jason made a quick, conscious decision to act - a thought process faster than the speed of light - to save the life of his friends. Wow. Even if I had had 5 more seconds to think, would I have done the same? Some could argue that hard-core military training prompted Jason to act. Maybe. But that's not the point that kept me tearfully sitting in my car. Would I do the same for my husband, my family, my friends, complete strangers? Do I have "The Greatest Love of All" in me? When faced with a life-and-death decision, would I be able to demonstrate the greatest love and put the life of others before my own?