Love's Currency

LOVE IS OFTEN THOUGHT OF as something we give—a rose, a card, an embrace. But love can also be shown by what we choose to give up for the good of another. Sacrifice on behalf of someone else not only shows love but also helps love to grow.

Mothers, fathers, and any who care for children often find themselves—sometimes for years—selflessly showing this kind of love. The nurture and raising of a child is one of the most noble—and most underrecognized—expressions of love.

Through the sacrifice of time, sleep, and personal preferences, opportunities and experiences are given to a child, creating space for them to learn and grow.

One couple decided that when their son turned eight, they would take him on a trip—not a vacation but an expedition—one that would help him encounter new places, new people, and new cultures.

A neighbor questioned their decision, saying, “He’s too young. When he’s 20, he won’t remember any of it. The cost and the time outweigh the benefit.”

But the parents weren’t thinking about the cost or the time or what he would remember at 20. They were thinking about how this might influence who he would become at 10. They believed that even if the details faded, the experience itself would help shape the person he was becoming—and that this experience, along with many others, would accumulate over time for his benefit. To them, the personal sacrifice required to create the experience would be well worth it.

The experiences of a growing child build upon each other, like grains of sand falling through an hourglass. What rests on top is only there because of everything that came before. And like the sand in an hourglass, it takes time—learning through experience—for a life to take shape.

How grateful we are for those in our lives—mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, and so many others—who, through quiet sacrifice, created opportunities that led to experiences, experiences that shaped us and helped us learn, improve, and grow.

We are surrounded by those who need our sacrifice, our time, and our care. These are the currency of love. And when love is freely given, we find it is not a cost—instead, it is an investment, one with the power to shape and change a life.