A Post About "Love"

You can't explain what love is any better than Paul did in 1 Corinthians 13. 

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, 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.

Love never fails."

I am humbled and convicted whenever I encounter this truth. When I think about what the Lord did for me, and the love He showed in His death and resurrection, I am in awe. How can I receive perfect love from the God of the universe, when I am so undeserving of it, and not give it freely in return? 




Our lives are meant to be poured out, used up, and given to others. In my marriage, I so easily say "I love you," but do I really show that I love my husband by my actions? Do I boast in my self-ascribed strengths while exposing my husband's weaknesses? 

"(Love) does not boast, it is not proud." "(Love) does not dishonor others…it keeps no record of wrong." 

Am I kind to my husband? Am I only kind when he is kind first? Am I "self-seeking" or do I search for ways to serve? Am I easily angered, or does my love "cover a multitude of sins," as 1 Peter 4:8 portrays. Do I "cover" my husband, or do I expose him? 

Exposed…just typing the word brings feelings of fear, rejection, embarrassment, and betrayal. In the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit God clearly forbid them to eat, they immediately felt their exposure; they were laid bare. But, God in his tender mercy covered them. He covered their bodies physically with animal skin, and he ultimately covered the sin of mankind with His blood.

Covering…safety, shelter, peace, warmth. Is my love bringing the feelings of "covering" or "exposure" to my marriage? Do I protect my husband's reputation in the way I present him or talk about him to others? Do I protect the way he sees himself in my words and actions? 

What about truly loving my children? Am I loving them by persevering, hoping, protecting, and serving? Am I allowing the Lord to use the trials of parenthood to produce an unwavering sense of patience toward my children, all the while standing in awe of God's patience with me? 

Do I truly love my own family the way God intended for me to love them? Sometimes it is easier to show this kind of love to complete strangers, and yet the people who live in my own home often get the brunt of my anger rather than the shelter of my love. 

Lord, let me not simply read the truth about love and walk away unchanged. Let me meditate on your word, allowing it to transform my mind and my heart, so that out of the overflow of my heart I will truly love those you have given me to call my own. Let the power of the gospel be displayed in the way I love my family. Only then, can my love for anyone else around me be genuine and real, rather than a facade or a show. Let the love of Christ be perfected in my heart by the power of His spirit.