“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
What do I know of love?
I know the love of Jesus surpasses
all the broken, imperfect ways we mortals love each other. His is a love that
heals, that restores, that pours worth into the worthless.
I know I have placed mortal
qualities on Jesus but He has forgiven me for that then shown me the unwavering
truth of who He is but more importantly, why
He is. I am humbled by His grace and find that grace is a building block of
love.
Gratitude is the mortar that
holds the building blocks of love in place. Gratitude, being always thankful,
manifests its self as patience and kindness and compassion. Gratitude is faith
in action. And yes, there are days I am not as thankful as I could be, taking
for granted the people in my life, the blessings, and the healing. I am
forgiven for that, too.
Today isn’t one of those days.
My heart is aching, filling my rib cage with the beyond words, soul filling
emotions of gratitude and its sister, joy. It leaves me humbled, in awe of my
Creator and all His wonders.
Maybe that’s what it means when
we say love hurts. A revelation this morning because I always thought it meant
to be loved was to be hurt…that hurt
was the cost of admission.
(A long pause.)
This is the only reason it has
taken me so long to delve into the idea of love. (Smile.) I know I mention it
frequently but I had only a babe’s understanding of the truth and power of the
love of God. My understanding of love came with a truckload of baggage. But,
finally, I can say with the deepest gratitude that the bags are unpacked, the
contents sorted and put away. All that remains is truth, beautiful truth.
God is love.
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