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. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love … Is it an emotion or an act of one’s will? Yes!
Is love difficult? Sometimes.
Is love painful? Often.
Does love heal? Yes!
Is love about me? Yes, but not the way you’re thinking.
Is love worth it? Absolutely!
As you can tell, I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately. I’ve been thinking about the love I have for my husband, my children, my friends, etc … But tonight as I was watching the movie based on Nicholas Sparks’ book A Walk to Remember, I found myself, as usual, sucked into the drama of yet another sappy love story!! Talk about a tear-jerker… I don’t know why I even watch that movie but every time it’s on, there I am eyes glued to the television blubbering all the way through!! I’m just a sucker for the sappy love stuff, I guess!!
Tonight as I was watching though, I couldn’t help but think about those whom I love. And as 1 Corinthians 13 was read near the end of the movie, three little words resonated in my mind – love always perseveres or in the movie it’s translated, love always endures. I immediately thought about those words with regard to my daughter Leanna.
What I heard the Lord whisper to me through my tears was “endure”; keep on loving her. At first that really didn’t make sense to me because I do love her. In fact, I love her so much it hurts!! So what could the Lord have meant? Well, I knew exactly what He meant after I thought about it for a moment! What He was saying to me was love her through this. Allow the power of love to help conquer the obstacles she’s facing. Let love be your guide. Not just any kind of love though – God’s love.
Endure. Remain steadfast. Don’t give up! Why? Because love doesn’t give up, and it doesn’t grow weary. Love doesn’t lose hope. Love doesn’t stop when it gets tough. Love is like a hedge of protection around your relationships. Or at least God’s kind of love is. Unconditional, god-like love doesn’t give up, and it doesn’t give out. It just gives and gives and gives.
So … what does love NOT do? Love doesn’t fail. Love will see you through. It sees you through the good, the bad and sometimes even the indifferent. Why? Because real love is not a thing or an emotion or even a thought … Love is a person and that person is Jesus Christ, and His love for us compelled Him to see it through to the end. One final reason that God’s kind of love doesn’t fail is because nothing is too hard for Him! (Jeremiah 32:27)
So the next time you think about your love for someone, think about it through the context of Jesus. His love is always patient and 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.
Keep on loving …
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