to die for a friend

no greater way to love

What does it mean to “die” for a friend?

Is it literal? Figurative?

Does “die” here refer to actual death, or is it simply an expression?

Is it death as a cinematic moment, like you pushing them from the path of an oncoming truck to end up being crushed instead?

Or is it death in the quiet and unnoticed moments, like you making sacrifices for them, arguing in their defence, or even praying for them?

How do you truly die for a friend?

I think the only right answer is this:

All of the above.

---

We all desire to be loved with a love that’s real.

Real Love = A devotion that goes beyond self-interest, comfort, and maybe even survival.

Some of us are even willing to give that kind of love to the people we deem as deserving.

A statement used by many to express their love to someone is “I can die for you.”

We have so many songs that have people claiming that they can lay down their life at once for the person they love.

It’s a simple sentence, but it carries so much weight because of this grave implication behind it:

We all get one life to live.

Once it’s given up, it CAN’T be gotten back.

Your life encompasses your dreams, your hopes, the reality of your existence, your emotions, your relationships, etc.

Once you die, all of that is gone.

Gone forever.

So to willingly leave all of that for the sake of someone else…

---

Obviously, “dying” in this context does not always have to be a physical death.

In fact, it almost never is.

“Death” here can simply be your willingness to put the well-being of someone else before your own, even when it costs you something significant.

It’s when you choose to sit with a grieving friend in silence, even though every part of you wants to share (or even escape) the crushing weight of their sorrow.

It’s when you offer that last bit of your energy to show up for someone who needs it, even when the exhaustion threatens to overwhelm you.

It’s when you sacrifice your time, resources, comfort, pride, or even dreams for the sake of another.

I don’t want to give specific examples because we all view things differently.

But think of things like:

Swallowing your pride to apologise to a friend that you hurt.

Ignoring your ego to tell someone what they did to you that you didn’t like.

These acts are the smaller, quieter, and dare I say, more important deaths that we die for the people we love.

Those moments when we lay down pieces of ourselves, our desires, our needs, for someone else.

That, in my opinion, is when we truly love.

---

The keyword here is sacrifice.

Nowadays, self-preservation is the underlying message of every personal development book we read.

They say, “Always put yourself first” and warn us against giving “too much” of ourselves to people to avoid being taken advantage of, drained, or left empty.

Of course, that makes a lot of sense.

I agree that love should not result in self-destruction.

True friendship is not one where one party gives endlessly while the other party only receives.

But still, there is something very sacred about being the kind of person who would risk themselves for another.

The kind of person that chooses to love and show it wholeheartedly, without any reservations or fear of any kind.

Not recklessly, not blindly, but deep and unwavering, giving the type of love that demands stepping outside of oneself for the sake of others.

The type of love that is easier proclaimed than manifested.

---

I guess that’s why it’s so rare.

Because to love in this way is to be vulnerable.

It’s to risk pain.

It’s to put your heart in someone else’s hands with no guarantee of how they will handle it.

It’s scary.

It’s overwhelming.

But the few people who ever embrace this risk of living and loving with all their heart experience love in a manner that many of us never might never do.

---

It’s tough to fathom, but this is the kind of love God calls us to show to one another.

I mean, it’s the kind of love He showed when He sent His only son to die for us.

It’s the same love that Son, Jesus, showed when he chose to die for us.

Not out of necessity or compulsion- just love.

I don’t understand it, honestly.

---

In the end, life is short, and we’re all going to die.

Pardon my candidness.

When the dust settles and all is said and done, it probably won’t be our money, achievements, titles, or fleeting pleasures that will define the life we lived.

It’ll probably be the love we gave.

The sacrifices we chose to make.

If you are lucky enough to have someone who would lay down their life for you, in whatever manner, cherish them and honour them.

And if you ever have the chance to be that kind of friend to someone else, embrace it.

You and I will probably never have to die a physical death for the person or people we love.

But the truth is “dying” the everyday deaths, like the ones we mentioned above, is much more difficult.

Yet, it’s the ultimate way to show someone that we truly care for them.

Never forget that -

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” - John 15:13.

That’s the end of my 4 days in a row Valentine Special.

Thank you for sticking around.

It’s back to regular posting and for me, it’s back to working on my debut novel.

Cheers. 🥂

READ NEXT-

Always & Forever

---

---