If you knew that this was your last day on earth - that
tomorrow your life would end - what would you do today? Most people would
probably not try to squeeze in one more day at the office or one last
television program. More than likely, you would spend most of the day trying to
reach the people who are dear to you, simply to say, one last time, "I
love you."
Those three words "I love you" are perhaps the
most important words in our language. Of course, they mean something only if they
are backed up by authenticity and actions. But the words themselves are
important too. So many people go through the day or week or even the year and
rarely hear those three simple words. We all need to know that we are loved,
that we matter to someone, that we have a place in another's heart. This is
what gives us confidence to face the cold world; it is what makes us feel
alive.
How many relationships could begin to heal with a sincere
expression of love? How many broken hearts could start to mend? How many
marriages or families could be strengthened by the intentional choice to say -
both in deeds and in words - "I love you"?
Perhaps we think our loved ones surely must know how we feel
about them. But they need to hear it. Flowery, poetic, or lengthy language is
not necessary. Those three simple words are usually just enough.
Their power lies in their straightforward purity. "I
love you" includes no caveats, no conditions, no limitations. It gives no
explanation or justification. It simply declares to one heart what another
heart feels.
When the end of our life does come, we may feel some regret
about the things we didn't accomplish or the goals we didn't achieve, but we
will never regret our expressions of genuine love. So why wait for our final
day? Tell someone, "I love you" today.
