Love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Seeing as though Valentine’s day is right around the corner of course I have to write about love! Love. It’s such a tricky thing. These days it seems like it has so many meanings but in the Bible it’s simple. If you read through all of 1 Corinthians 13 you can see that Paul describes love as, “being patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud…” These are things that I think we all struggle with as humans. Do you ever find yourself being impatient? Or unkind? Or a little envious? Or maybe boasting just a little? In this chapter Paul says he could have faith, speak in tongues, but without love, “I am nothing.” How crazy is that? That’s why this scripture at the end of the chapter where he states, “the greatest of these is love,” is incredibly powerful to me. I like to think about how when I first became a Christian, I didn’t become a believer because someone made me feel judged about not believing, or because it was forced upon me, I believed because I was slowly and gently pushed towards that direction. It wasn’t my mom, or friends, or anyone really who made me believe, yes they helped, but ultimately God used them to bring me to Himself. When I think about what kind of Christian I want to be, I think about what God says in His word, and when I read this scripture about love being the most important, even over faith, and hope, I’m inspired to be more loving, more kind, less boastful, not envious, and all those ways that love is described in the Bible. And like I always say, it’s not an easy process for me. Life is hard and has its challenges, although I’m God’s daughter I’m also a human with real emotions, my own insecurities, doubts, fears, hurts and pains. So love is not always easy for me. Although love may not be easy, it’s definitely something that I aim towards everyday, and when I fail at being my most loving self I try again. And the next time I feel like being unloving towards someone, I try to look at my past and try to make more loving decisions. So this Valentine’s Day I wish to look at those around me who I love and who love me, also strangers, the homeless man in the corner, the people who maybe weren’t so loving to me in the past and just have loving thoughts towards them. I hope to cherish those who are important in my life, forgive easily, and be kinder. I know it’s a work in progress it’s not easy, maybe it’s easier for you, but either way I hope that you love greatly and have an awesome Valentine’s Day this year. Whether it’s with your significant other, your friends and family, all of the above, or just yourself and God.

God loves you, you are loved, and try your best to love!

Have a very blessed week.