Love is....

Sometimes I need reminding.....

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

4 Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,

5 Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

6 Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

7 Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

8 Love never dies.

Loves a pretty big deal. It asks a lot of us. Its hard, determined, never ending work. Its more the initials scribbled on a binder, or a dream wedding, it's way bigger then that initial "in love" feeling, that wears off over time. Love's a choice, a challenge, a calling.

Its a really big deal.

Too many people never really know the true definition of love. They know the human definition, flawed and selfish and all about gratification, personal gratification usually, but a lot of us never really know what God describes love as, and how we're called to do it. Selflessly, and many times, without pay off, because we choose to do it, not because we're getting something in return.

"Love puts up with anything"

That's a pretty controversial statement right there isn't it? (To anyone but God I expect).

Anything? A statement like that leaves no loop holes, no exceptions, no room to rationalize bailing out on your calling to love. ANYTHING. When you choose to love, you choose to love no matter what, nothing should interrupt your job to give love. Tricky, I know.

"Love doesn't keep score of the sins of others"

We do though. We store every wrong doing in the back of our minds and bring them back when it suits us and use them as weapons to throw back at the other.

We keep score. We keep track of what we put out and what we get back, and we feel resentment if it's uneven. We're always sure to make sure we get what we feel is owed to us, everything has to be "fair", and when its not, there's usually a penalty to pay.

But, God calls us to love, no matter what. With nothing in return. Even when it isn't fair, even when it isn't our turn to love, we're supposed to love.

"Love never gives up"

Love's pretty amazing. Those who can get it right all the time are pretty amazing too. Though I suspect that there are very few of us who can love like God does all of the time (or half the time for that matter). Love is a pretty big job, and it has a pretty complicated job description.

Thankfully, what matters most, is we continually try to do it better, we know what's asked of us in regards to love, and we strive to do it, and if we fall short, we try again. We all fall short.

I'm trying hard to follow these guidelines in the love I give. Some of it comes easily, some of it I have to work at, some of it seems pretty insurmountable. But I'm trying, and because I'm human and I fail, I'm trying again, and again.

Love is a very big deal.

Love is a tough job, but rewarding one.

Love is a gift.

Katie