The give and take of life = LOVE

So over the past week I have been struggling to understand love. Not the romantic dizzy, confusing and annoyingly I can think of no one but her love. But rather what is Love the act of loving people of loving myself and what is God's love. I have been blinded by the studies of "deeper" spiritual things from bible college. Until tonight as I returned from Joe's Place and started to ask God "How do I love" and "what does that look like." What was revealed to me was sacrifice; love is the act of sacrificing something for something that you care about more. God's example was Jesus dying on the cross suffering for us sinners, that is love. I was struggling with the thought of living for Jesus why do I do it. Well duh he gave his life to set me free from the bondages of sin should I not be living a life as if to repay what he has done? and then he keeps showing his love to us even when we screw up he will bless us with something that we needed but didn't know how to handle.
I then thought back to my hiking trip at the beginning of Kaleo. This is me nearing the peak of Mount Albert Edward. there was still a ways to go that was all up hill where we spent about 30min-to an hour on before descending back down the mountain to camp. This trip was a lot about life we spend so much time struggling to get up the mountain only to spend a little while at the summit then there is only one way to go and that is down. there is the easy way down or the hard way. God has provided the easy way by blazing the trail and creating a bridge back to where we desire to be. but so many see the hard way it looks like fun, it's a challenge that we think we can take on. But so many end up dead because they slip and have nothing to hold onto. falling until they reach the bottom or are blessed with a safe catch with only some scraps and broken bones. but a way back up and down the easier side of the mountain. Then sometimes God sends down people to help lift you up and heal your broken spirit. These people are giving of their time to help the lost and broken of this world. the ones that thought they could do it on their own. I am glade that God got my attention through my parents example and the many other people that surrounded me with their love.
Now I must learn to give of my time to help and lead those that are around me to the Lord and his example. I have been given all I need his word, his people and the most important a way to communicate and know that he is their with me.