Unconditional Love?

I saw something on tv today that really struck me. It was a clip of a woman interviewing an actress about her role as an aunt in a movie.

Actress: "What she gave him was unconditional love, and when you give a person unconditional love, usually it means you blossom. So unconditional love is something we all should give and receive."

Interviewer: "That is a tall order."

Actress: "It is, and that is why I don't give it to everybody."

And then both women proceeded to laugh.

I was stunned. I still am. Here were two women who clearly did not understand what unconditional love truly was, nor how to give it. I do my best to give such love to ALL people, whether I know them or not. It is this kind of love that reminds us that all people need the gospel, that all people need salvation. To not extend such love to every person we meet would be catastrophic on an eternal scale.

Besides that very sobering aspect, I also find it baffling that they would think that giving such love is a difficult thing. The only thing I know of that would make unconditional love a "tall order" would be selfishness. Their laughter after declaring that they would not love everybody highlights this about their natures, and I find it deeply saddening. This is entertainment to people? Watching love be spoken of as if it were a limited and hard-won commodity? I find it very upsetting and unsettling.

A relevant verse that comes to mind is Luke 6:32, "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them."  Clearly this is true of those two women, and heaven forbid we be anything like them.  Additionally, in the last part of verse 38, it says, "For what measure you use it will be measured back to you."  May we heed that warning and extend unconditional love to all we meet!