A number of years ago, I officiated at the wedding of two friends. They selected this passage from John as part of the scriptures to be read at their marriage ceremony. Both the bride and groom had a deep understanding that the nature of love is to be others-focused rather than looking towards their own betterment or desires. As they have grown in their marriage, both husband and wife have laid down parts of their own lives for their spouse, sacrificing aspects of themselves that they had always felt were important for the growth of their relationship and their young family.
When many of us read these words from Jesus, we tend to look at the obvious foreshadowing of the Messiah pointing towards the crucifixion, and we might quickly discount the ways that He is speaking to us. Whether we are married or single, have a large group of friends, or just a few close ones, all of us have been faced with situations where we need to lay down some aspect of our lives for the people we love. This process is not easy, and it is not one that we seek of our own volition. Rather, it takes introspection and a true desire to seek the good of someone other than ourselves.
God calls us to this act each day. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans that “if we have been united with him [Christ] in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” As followers of Christ, all of us have already laid down our lives with Jesus to be remade into resurrected life.