Love Is…

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

One of the most well-known passages in the Bible comes from 1 Corinthians 13. We’ve heard it at weddings and even funerals. It was read at my wedding. It’s a passage that I’ve been reflecting on. Love is something that can be hard to define. I love God, my husband, my son, and my family, but also books and pizza.

According to my Instagram and Facebook friends, Love is:

“A fruit that contains all minerals of life for someone to live and fill the space of heaven and earth with God and others.”

“Modeling God’s love, the Bible gives us the characteristics of love…”

“Putting someone ahead of yourself. Because you want to, not because you have to.”

“…we define it through our actions more often than our words.”

“A choice not a feeling.”

“…my commitment to something or someone.”

Love doesn’t rush through just to check it off a list.
Love gives time and listening ears.
Love sprinkles kindness like confetti.
Love looks out for others and their well-being.
Love helps not hinders.
Love encourages and cheers others on.
Love is honest but kind.
Love forgives.
Love looks for the good.
Love celebrates others instead of competing.
Love keeps going because the greatest love, God, never gives up on us.

Are we loving others?

Loving others can be trying at times, maybe we are tired or have our own things going on when we are interacting with others. I know I’ve been short with people, hurrying them along just so I could get my To-Do list done or to get to the next event. How many things am I missing when I’m not loving people well?

If I accomplish nothing else in this world, I want to make sure that you know you are loved. You are loved by God and by me. I want to leave a legacy of love, whether that’s a seat at my table, a snack at the track, or a kind word and an open door to a stranger, I want you to feel loved.

1 John 3:18 states, “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” (1 John 3:18 NLT).

For years this verse has been on the door leading out to my car, this is our family’s action verse. We can say we love but unless we put our actions into play we aren’t loving others. 

Jesus came to this earth as a baby born in a manager and showed us what love was. He showed us how to love the unloveable, the outcasts, the sick, and the hurting. He didn’t just tell us we needed to do it, he showed us how to do it. 

Jesus instructs us in John 13, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35 NLT).

God loves us unconditionally, in a way that is hard for us to truly wrap our human minds around. I’ve found that I don’t always need to figure it out, as long as I know that God’s love never ends, He loves me no matter what. We are to emulate that love to others, not just the people we like but to everyone. I am striving to be more like Jesus in showing others the love of Christ through me. 

This week I challenge you to think about how you love others, you may tell them that you love them, but how can you show them?