love
a profoundly passionate, tender affection for another
a feeling of warm personal attachment
to take great pleasure in
to need or require
to benefit from
Our country often has a tendency to commercialize rather than personalize. Send a mass templated card written by a stranger. Text or Facebook rather than take a few minutes to hand write a note or take time out for a face to face, heart to heart conversation. Buy a generic gift because that's what everyone else wants, rather than take time to purchase or make a thoughtful, person inspired gift. Please don't misunderstand me, I firmly believe the old adage applies here, "it's the thought that counts"...the main thing being that your love for others take on verb form.
Over the last eight years especially our family has been blessed to see love in many forms. Sneaky thing about love...it never looks the same. Love whispers different words to each listening ear. Love moves with stealth and quiet peace to some...with breath-taking speed and depth to others. Love requires the person giving it to be totally vulnerable, the person receiving it to be entirely susceptible. Love emboldens some with its power, weakens other with its stregth.
Four little letters, a simplicity of definition that defies its complexity of meaning.
In art and design you constantly hear that "form follows function."
If the function of love is to mature your spirit, deepen your desire to take a personal interest in others...what does the form of love look like to you?
To us it's come in the form of three unique, perfectly "fearfully and wonderfully" made little girls
It's the courage three ladies from our church found to step out of their comfort zone and put action to the word
It's a marriage served up shaken with sorrow, stirred with stubborn dedication, on the rocks over unanticipated joy and laughter, capped with grace and mercy
A friend who knows your spirit so well that words aren't necessary
We've found it in the quiet with friends as they've allowed us to share their earth shattering hurts and soul searing pain
We've heard it echo from the sidelines as we share in personal victories and revel in our friend's conquests
We've seen it as strangers and medical professionals become family to us-making a dedicated effort to invest their feelings in us
Love is indeed patient, kind, long suffering, not given to boasting, thoughtful and self-sacrificing.
But understanding the depth and breadth of love tried by life's fire means that love's form is more than a Disney princess plot line. Slaying the dragons and conquering the trials in life teach you to better appreciate and more fully understand love...in all its forms. Loving like this means you will be bruised and bumped, jostled, and wounded...but God also uses those experiences to grow you up more in Him, giving you a greater capacity to put your love into action.
There is nothing wrong with the outward display of love-chocolates, flowers, cards, candlelight dinner. Revel and rejoice, be grateful when others choose to love you in such a public display of affection!
Just don't forget that love takes on many forms...all year long.
Slow down, tune in to others. Figure out what frequency they operate on, what their love language is (thanks Dr. Gary Chapman!). We've never regreted loving others with our arms and hearts wide open.
Matthew 22: 37-39
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
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