Loves True Form

This month is often known as the love month; filled with candy, hearts, flowers and valentines. Love has an array of meanings and intensities within culture(s). However, love in its most pure form is the love of God. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 & 13, ESV). Love believes the best of others and hopes the best for them. 

When I sit down and reflect on love and its deeper meaning, I am reminded of how much God loves me no matter what. I am also reminded of how I am to love. Love is a journey not a destination. It is filled with ups and downs and curves and roadblocks. However, with your eye on the horizon (God), your focus will remain anchored. And though you may veer off course, you will find your way back with ease. 

When I look at the first description of love: patience, I immediately take a deep breath. Patience has been one of my biggest areas of struggle. I am an executor and go-getter and just hearing the word patience reminds me of the turtle, slow and steady. It also reminds me of the lesson of the tortoise and the hare. And I get the nudge to take a deep breath not out of frustration, instead in walking out patience. Preparing myself not just to wait, but rather walking out how I am acting while I am waiting. When you dive into the meaning of love what are the areas that challenge you most? And how are you walking them out?