My Take On Love

This is such a cliche topic to write on during this time of year....every one is blogging about it, and if they're not blogging about it, they're probably sharing a blog about it. But, what better time to bring up what I think love is then during the month of love? So, here's my take on the "L" word! Enjoy :) 

"I Love You"
That one sentence that can bring out a smile, melt someone's heart or.....make someone roll their eyes.
The word "love" gets such a bad image anymore. People say things like...

"Ugh, love is such an overused word. Everyone just tosses it around like it's free."

Hate to be the captain obvious one here, but, love is free :) Check out this quote from C.S. Lewis.

"Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did."

Unfortunately, some people put poison in their love. Demanding a price for it, misusing the word for their own personal control and in turn making that word nothing to others, sometimes even a word that brings out fear. But, why should we as a nation degrade the word "love" because only a few people have given it its bad taste? I'm so sorry to those who have a fear of being fully and truly loved. I have been there before, even though I am ashamed to admit it. For those of you who cringe at the word, who ignore it or put it behind you....don't because the point is that love, true love, the way it was created to be, really is free and it abounds in freedom. You are loved so much by God that He gave His only son for you! What greater love than that? 
I'm going to share the greatest secret of love that I can.....are you ready? I'm going to give you a recipe of love....here it goes. (BTW you might wanna grab your Bible and a notebook and write these down! Turn with me to the great chapter of love, 1 Corinthians 13!)

The Great Recipe of Love

(What to add)

-Patience

-Kindness

-Rejoicing with the truth

-Protection

-Trust

-Hope

-Perseverance 

-Never Failing

(What NOT to add)

-DO NOT add envy

-DO NOT add boasting

-DO NOT add proudness 

-DO NOT add dishonor of others

-DO NOT add self-seeking

-DO NOT add easy anger

-DO NOT add a record of wrongs

-DO NOT add delighting in evil things

Now, this is just a little snippet, a very important one from God's Love Letter to us, but still just a small section of what our Mighty Creator defines as love. (If I had added all the ingredients then this blog would be longer than anything else I've ever written, so for now lets just camp on this one recipe, and maybe in the future we can look at the others that go with it!) Look at all of those awesome ingredients, mixed together they create a flawless perfect love. But, I forgot one itty bitty ingredient......flawed humans. You know.....when Eve bit that apple our perfect love was swept away in the current of sin that crashed onto the shores of human hearts that day. It is such a sad reality, we are broken and in need of a Savior. And yet, love still remains here on earth. 

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE."
(1 Corinthians 13:13)

Did you catch that? After sin entered the world 3 major things remained. Faith, hope and love. But did you catch which one was the greatest of these? That's right, the "L" word. Did you know, that according to Reference.com, in the NIV version of the Bible, the topic of love is mentioned a total of 551 times? And that's just the topic, not even just the word itself! If that doesn't testify to how great love is, I don't know what else does! Here's another little secret that I know...are you sure you're ready for this one? Grab your notebook and in big letters write AGAPE.

You got that? Okay, good! Now, lets talk about what it means! (If you would like to read more about it on your own check out this Wiki page!) Agape is a Greek word that translates in English to "love". But not just any kind of love. Agape is the highest form of love. One that doesn't demand someone else to treat you with respect or kindness or anything else for that matter. But, instead, calls you to show unconditional love no matter what the other person may be like.

Did you know that Agape is also used as a word to explain God's love for us?

WOW!

 

So, after all the insight, recipes, scriptures and a few ramblings....what is my take on love?

My take on love is to show it no matter what. To be intentional, unconditional, servant minded, kind, patient, and always open to FREELY giving love to others. Christ does that for me, and I pray I may continue to do it for other people as well. 

To those of you who have had bad stories with love, the ones who have been abused, used, left behind, pushed and pulled I love you.

Don't let that one person keep you from the true love you deserve. Because darling, you are deserving, the God of the universe made you for love. And He saved you for love. 

Let true love into your life, let it open up your wounds and heal them.

It will hurt, and it may hurt for a while, but the healing of His true love is the best thing for the wounds you've felt.

God agape's you! Don't ever forget that :) 

Dear friends, let me leave you with this song. I encourage you to just sit back, close your eyes, and listen to the words. Let the love surround you on this Valentine's Day :) 

I love each and every one of you!