Love Without Expectation

If there's one thing I've been learning and being stretched in lately, it's this.  Loving--purely, wholly, genuinely, and without expectation.  It'd be nice if every time we reached out with love, the response we got was one where we felt loved in return.  Quite frankly, though, sometimes those who need love most, may not be able or willing to love us back the way we'd like them too.  And if I'm loving because I expect some sort of love in return...so what?
Is that really love?
Cause it sounds more like selfishness to me.

Jesus, loved this way.  He gave of Himself, gave His life, without expecting us to respond in any certain way....He wants us to respond, asks us to respond, but He's not forcing anything on us.  Our response does nothing to change the fact He loves us, it just changes whether or not we receive His love.
God is love.
As I abide in love--
Lay down my life for others--
His love becomes perfected,
In me.
And the God of love,
Abides in me.

So love.  No expectation.  No requirement for those you take into your heart to give anything in return.  Just pure, unadulterated, genuine, LOVE.

I don't know what it all looks like.
Still learning what all this means...
But I'm determined to keep at it
Until I see clearly.
No longer looking through a glass darkly,
But standing face-to-face
With LOVE.

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