Sunday Reflection: Love Each Other! Really?

“You have to work hard to offend Christians. By nature, Christians are the most forgiving, understanding, and thoughtful group of people I’ve ever dealt with. They never assume the worst. They appreciate the importance of having different perspectives. They’re slow to anger, quick to forgive, and almost never make rash judgments or act in anything less than a spirit of total love. . . No, wait—I’m thinking of Labrador retrievers!” – David Learn per ODB

This quote made me laugh out loud because Christians are not perfect, for sure, but people who are held to a higher standard by God. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are to become a new person where our "love" standards for each other are better than before (Ephesians 5:1-15). 

We represent God.

People aren’t always easy to love because we can be rude, hateful, selfish, abusive, angry, prejudice, overly neutral and annoying. But we are also lonely, alone, scared, old, young, unemployed, ill or out of control.

We all have our life stories and need love and compassion, from time to time.

On this Valentine’s Day, put aside romantic love for just a moment and ask yourself this:

Is your love patient, kind, rejoicing in truth, protective, trusting, hopeful, and persevering? Or is your love for others envious, boastful, self-seeking, prideful, angry, a record keeper of wrongs, degrading and amused by evil intent? If so, perhaps a personal love checkup is needed.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (NIV) Source

One of our greatest contributions to life and to the people of the world is love. True love never fails or gives up. 

Happy Valentines Day!

Blessings,

Teresa