Live ... by love

I stumbled upon the most wonderful quote today that I just had to share with you.

The poet Robert Browning said,

“There is an answer to the passionate longings of the heart for fullness, and I knew it, and the answer is this: Live in all things outside yourself by love, and you will have joy. That is the life of God; it ought to be our life. In him it is accomplished and perfect; but in all created things it is a lesson learned slowly and through difficulty.”

Isn't that lovely?

To live by love is to have joy. I can really only think of one thing that means and that is the pure love of Christ, or charity. Jesus embodied charity in his love of all mankind and his endless service on our behalf. I am no expert on charity, being an inherently selfish person, but I do know that when I have looked outside of myself to serve another, my own problems swiftly dimmed in importance and I felt better about my ability to overcome them.