Ka Ipu o Lono shares weekly devotionals to provide spiritual enrichment to members of the Kamehameha Schools ‘ohana. For more inspiration, visit the KS “Our faith” website.

Heluhelu Baibala
ʻAʻole ko kekahi kanaka aloha i ʻoi aku i kēia, ʻo ka waiho aku a kekahi i kona ola no kona mau hoaaloha. – Ioane 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13

He manaʻo o ke kahu
This week, I stopped in to see how our papa ʻeono (grade 6) orientation was going. They were working on a lesson on what makes a great warrior. Part of the discussion was what made a great warrior, followed up with, “what is aloha?” What a maikaʻi question in reference to a koa, for a warrior is often seen as someone who is strong and tough, ready to take on any challenge to protect his aliʻi. To do that, the koa must have aloha for those he guards.

So, when the haumāna were asked, “what is aloha?” their responses were maikaʻi loa. To them, aloha is:

• Respecting other people
• Greeting, connecting, pilina
• Helpful, love or care so that others don’t have to work hard
• Freedom: loving others with no boundaries – unconditional love
• Short acts of kindness, selfless
• Joy, hope
• Breath of life
• Saying “hi” to brighten someone’s day
• Honorable talk, honesty, trust in each other, being humble not prideful, picking up after each other, sharing, putting others first, and empathy

Papa ʻeono defined the word aloha through actions; how one practices aloha. They saw how if a warrior wanted to truly live out his or her role in this world, they needed to be self-sacrificing. It meant that the other person came first. It meant that you humbled yourself and sought to do what would benefit the other person. To them, love was a verb.

The greatest example of this kind of love is Iesū, who sacrificed his life so that we might live –  exactly what a mighty warrior would do. So, think about this today. Are you a warrior for Christ? Are you willing to give up everything so that true love might abound? If not your life, find the heart to give of your time, your resources, your everything so that others might find aloha.

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