It's All in the Overflow

Ourselves, Charlotte Mason Volume 4 ( Part II The House Of Mind); Part III -The House Of Heart -Chapter I :The Ways Of Love

For anyone, it’s difficult to tell the limits of love. We truly never know how far we’ll go for people outside of ourselves. A heart full of love cannot help but overflow into other people. The ripples of love keep expanding until they reach another shore.

However, what we perceive as love might be a counterfeit. Unlove—yes, I’ve just made the word up—is selfish, controlling, and jealous. Unlove is love turned inwards. Although everyone needs self-love in order to care of themselves, their interests, and their property, the person who loves only himself focuses solely on how he might profit from others or from any situation. It is unfortunate to love such a fellow, for the lover suffers at his hand. No amount of love poured into someone who always believes he deserves more will ever be enough.

Love delights in the goodness and seeks the happiness of the beloved. Love seeks to serve and not merely extract.

We are all capable of love, hatred, warmth, coldness, like, dislike, friendliness and aversion. We are all free to choose the people we want to become and from that we pour the overflow into others. Every decision and action we make is in service to the people we are becoming.

What do our children recognise as love? Will they fall for a counterfeit? Have they experienced enough of the real thing to discern when they are offered unlove? One can only recognise the counterfeit by being truly intimate with the original.

Best Regards,

Olufunmike