As A Matter of Faith: Love In Action

I am surrounded by love -- both literally and figuratively. I've kept the hearts on my blog long past Valentine's day because 1)I'm too damn lazy to find another background I like; and 2) Love seems to be cropping up all over the place lately.

First and foremost is the love I have been showered with by my bloggy friends. You have supported me unconditionally, even when I didn't deserve it. Even when I was unable to return the favor. For that I am more grateful than you will ever know.

But I am also surrounded by love in real life. I've posted previously about the love Mo and I feel when we attend our small, but wonderfully accepting, church. The love that the pastor and his wife and "kids" (they are late 20's - mid 30's) have shown us is truly an example of what Christian love should be. I am so blessed to have many people in my life who love me and care about how I am doing.

I, in turn, am striving to learn how to love back. The thing that I am learning is that love is so much more than a feeling; love is what you do. Love is an act of kindness, it is making a decision to "lead your heart" even when you don't really feel like it.

I see so many examples of this everywhere I turn lately. Of course, The Love Dare focuses on it; and we've been studying it in our ladies group. It was even a focus of Good Morning America yesterday morning. But perhaps the most touching example of love in action that I've heard or read lately is Kym's story. (Caution: babies / children mentioned and pictured. Do not follow the link if you are not in a place for that right now. And I totally get it if you aren't). Kym, in addition to being a hilariously funny biotch, is also the kind of person who demonstrates the kind of love we should all strive to have.

Need proof? 1 Corinthians 13, the "love" chapter, expounds upon the Christian ideal of love. (I'm using the Amplified Bible below, so bear with me if it seems a bit lengthy. ) Specifically, verses 4 - 7 uses both examples and non-examples to teach us how we should behave if we are to demonstrate love to our fellow man.

"Love endures long, and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes; is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]."

So much of what love "is" is demonstrated by what we do. Nowhere in this passage does it speak of love being how you feel. Although this is most definitely NOT an easy challenge for me, it is one that I am incorporating as best as I can. I started with loving Mo a while back, whether he appreciated it or not, whether he deserved it or not. It has strengthened our relationship tremendously, and now I find he is loving me better than before.

My next challenge is to extend this to my sister, a person who quite truly I do not like most of the time. Only a tiny bit of that has to do with our recent trials; it is much more her innate personality. BUT - again, whether she deserves it or not, I am trying to love her (in word and deed, if not in spirit) unconditionally.

The best part of this love business is that in loving others, I am also learning to love myself. By forgiving others, it gets easier to forgive myself. And isn't that one of the biggest challenges in life we ever face?

Love. It seems as though it really does make the world go round.