Love can be described as many things.
The 5 Love languages:
Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gift Giving & Receiving, Acts of Service.
Commitment even in hard times.
Lady & The Tramp style, sharing spaghetti & meatballs.
The prince saves the princess, happily ever after.
Your heart breaking for someone else's heartache.
Marriage.
Friendship and having the deep community and accountability.
Learning together through the easy, medium, and hard times.
Some mistake lust for love.
What does love look like to me you ask. With my lack of experience in certain areas, let me explain to you what I do know. How deep God's love is for us.
Yes I'm talking about God the one who made us out of dust, who saved us from sin by sending and killing His only son, so we all can become His son's and daughters.
So let's look at this verse about love.
1 Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
So let's observe some things. God directly gives us step by step instruction to what love is.
Love is good, it's something special God has given us through our body's heart. It's so great how God would give us these hearts and make them set to a purpose to love.
Now let me tell you, we say love is hard, and it is, but I think sometimes we make it harder than it should have ever been.
Notice love keeps no records of wrongs it states, it doesn't say let's keep making the same bad choices that we learned about. God isn't dumb, He wants us to love in a healthy good way.
God's love is pure, He wants things for us, He lets us help other people, He doesn't keep us in a box. So why do we do that to God? Limit Him and put Him in a box?
I'll tell you why, we like control, we are humans and we have flesh. We all have temptations, but when we get the spirit of God inside of us, it changes us, we see things differently, we have some morals to hold ourselves accountable to.
When we don't have someone else helping us in the world, we have a free for all. You know what the world looks like with nothing guiding us, like the government, CHAOS.
If we let our feelings, our love, our desire be lead by our flesh, we'd be hurting. Chances are each one of us has let our flesh take over at some points. (Shakes head) I've done it too. But I know I learn a lot from my mistakes, but I learn after I never wanted to do that.
Love is patient, ah we could all use patience in our life. It is hard to wait, the wait is hard, tough, and it is just plain rough. But let me tell you something going against challenges and waiting throughout this hard time is what will make you stronger and make it so worth it in the end.
Like the bride who has waited to hold hands, kiss, have sex, whatever it is for you, they have this joy, sense of accomplishment as they get to finally finish their race.
Like the broken relationship that ends and you think there is no hope for another one, but little do you know right around the corner there is a surprise.
God doesn't make us learn hard things without a purpose. Whether it's in leadership, relationships, love, whatever, even if we the stupid flesh controlled human make a wrong choice, if we seek God out in the end, He can make it work for the good, which is learning from that situation, choice, etc.
God loves us so much.
Love is caring, kind, gentle, and most of all it is when you care and lay aside your own selfishness for somebody else.
In an individualistic society this may be hard to grasp.
In example my sisters. I love them all, I say that and I mean it. But love does take action.
We forget how to inspire, share, and help people along the life journey.
When my sisters, or anyone for that matter would do something similar to me, I would get mad because I wanted to be me, why is that person doing my thing, they are so annoying. Well example right there.
1. Selfish, how could I care more about my self image and having my own identity than influencing people positively. When I realized what I had done, I shook my head, and I realized, when I asked God to change me, help me be an influence, this is what I was going to have to do.
2. Be an example. In this world there aren't many good one's left, and if so they may be hiding or hard to reach. Reach out, be involved, love people, seek wisdom, and get others in your life together to bring a bigger movement together.
3. Love. Love is not being an individual. It's LAYING DOWN that STUPID selfishness that labels, pride give us. Lay down that pride, it is a dangerous thing. God created us all differently, we think differently, love differently, and a lot of other things, if you can't get that pride gone. You better get down on your knees and pray.
If we were to share our styles, music, hobbies, etc. maybe some parents, grandparents, kids, sisters, brothers, friends, acquaintances would be able to not have resorted to where they ended up.
SHARE. For real.
Love God first because He will empower you with the strength to love people :)
Challenge:
This weekend make a plan of action to mentor someone, seek someone out older than you, and share a story, a hobby, try some new hobby, go out for coffee, take a step to love somebody else.
-Heather Cheryl Craig
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