Let's Make a Deal

OK, so we're trying to figure out what love means.  Remember??  Hey, is anyone out there?  Do you remember what I'm talking about??  lol

We (by we, I mean "I") decided yesterday that the dictionary definition of love isn't encompassing enough; in fact, it's just plain wrong.  So where do we get our truth from?  Anyone?  Say it with me . . . the Bible.  The B-I-B-L-E.  You're singing it, aren't you?

So, if the Bible is our truth, then we can rely on it to explain to us what love is.  Love is patience.  Love is kindness.  Love is protection, it is trust.  Love is hope.  Love is perseverance.  Love is NOT jealousy.  It's not arrogance or pride.  It is not rudeness.  It is not self-seeking.  Love is not angry.  Love is not a scorekeeper.

That's what 1 Corinthians 13 says, doesn't it?  Starting in verse 4:  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Seems pretty straightforward to me.  But wait, we say, I love my kids, but I'm certainly not always patient.  Does this mean I don't love my kids?  Of course not.  It's important to see that love is a verb . . . not a noun. (Well, of course it's a noun too . . . but you know what I mean.)  Verbs express existence, they express action.  They express movement.  Love is always moving, always growing, always encompassing more. 

Have you ever noticed that your parents have so much more patience with your kids than you do?  Or then they had with you?  That's because they're ability to love has grown through the years . . . just as your abilities will change as you grow.

Love is a way of expressing existence, action and movement.  Love is a decision to work towards those goals.  I just had to apologize to my kid last night for being impatient with him.  (He grounded me, by the way.  Not sure how I feel about that.)  I explained to him that I'm sure not perfect, and I make mistakes, but that I try to work to make fewer and fewer mistakes.  That's what love does.  If I didn't love him, I would care about growing to become a better parent.  I wouldn't care that I was impatient with him in the first place!  But I do care.  And that's love.

Isn't love awesome?  The depth and breadth and width with which we can express love is amazing.  What can you tonight to show your loved ones that they are, well, loved?  Be creative, think about it, and then - be a verb!  Just do it!