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
So, this week I am on vacation, and it has been really fun. It’s a time to forget about the hustle and
bustle of work, cheer practices, and responsibilities, and take time to be
thankful for the things I have. For
example, my wife and I have enjoyed spending time together like it is a second
honeymoon. She has had fun all the while
poking fun at me. I tell her how she
hurt my feelings and she is why we don’t get nice things (playfully of
course 😊). I
enjoy how much love there is between us.
I think of the times where we were truly upset with each other. They were messy and ugly. However over the years, I figured out
something about love. True unconditional
love between two people is the same as love that often fails. The difference is not the love. The difference is what matters to them. Conditional love focuses on those things that
are not. The insensitivity shown or failure
and disagreements that occurred.
Unconditional love focuses on the things that are. The smiles shared and the tough times we
fought through. Love is a
celebration. Not a sacrifice.
God’s love is about the beauty He sees within us. It should not be a huge surprise that a devotion
on ‘Love’ focuses on 1 Corinthians 13. In
science, it has been said that the simplest laws are often the most powerful
ones. For example, what goes up must
come down is the law of gravity. 1
Corinthians 13 is exactly that way. It
is simply written but powerfully advanced.
As you read the verses, I asked myself, “When I said that I loved
someone, was all of this present?” I saw
the moments in my life where I was not loving, and in each case, something from
these verses was missing. Then, I think
of how God loves me. He looks beyond my
flaws and sees me as a person usable for His will. He subtly guides me even as I may fight Him (like
I had a shot 😊). He corrects me sometimes harshly but always
with a look toward the future. It is why
people say God is love. Like the last
verse, He, “never gives us, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures
through every circumstance.”
As I think of this week’s vacation, I have a greater drive toward
righting all those things where love was lacking. Whether it is a conversation with a co-worker
or addressing a situation with my daughter, I am driven and inspired by the
love I have for all of those near and dear to me. Each of us has that within us to love. If you feel a limitation of love then either
one of two things must be true. Either
you have not let God in enough to expand your abundance of love or you may not
truly love as much as you believe. God’s
love is sufficient for all, and if you happen to be a person feeling unloved I
want to impress upon you these simple truths:
- God loves you
- Love yourself as God loves you
- Love others, and that love will come back
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