Love…
Love plants gardens in the hearts of people…and doesn’t stop watering even though sometimes it’s a long growing season. Love counts blessings not minutes while standing in line at the checkout lane with a clerk who’s training. Love walks softly beside feet that are too small to take big strides or too aged and worn to clip quickly along.
Love is patient.
Love rakes the leaves in someone else’s yard. Love gives the benefit of the doubt. Love gives not because but before it is asked to. Love does it whether or not it’s convenient to do.
Love is kind.
Love knows joy and contentment because love trusts in the One who controls all things, and love can cheer watching someone else succeed. Love knows there is not a limit to the number of dreams that can come true or the amazing things God can do, and love rejoices with those who rejoice. Love sees through lenses of gratitude not lenses of comparison.
Love does not envy.
Love doesn’t act in order to look like a better spouse or parent or neighbor or person- love acts no matter who is or isn’t watching. Love doesn’t look back at all it has done- it looks forward to all it can do.
Love does not boast. Love is not proud.
Love listens…more than it advises, Love assumes your best intentions. Love answers the same question- three times without using an “I’ve explained this before” type of tone.
Love is not rude.
Love asks how it may help more than telling you how it may help. Love is real good at putting itself right in your shoes. When love shares a cookie- you get to choose which half you want.
Love is not self seeking.
Love can smile as it digs through the trash can for magnet letters or car keys a child was “putting away”. Love knows more about perspective than entitlement. Love knows it’s one thing to feel an emotion but another thing to act foolishly upon it.
Love is not easily angered.
Love is label blind- it does not show partiality- it just acts. Love is not focused on perfection but more so on grace. Since love is a way not a contest- there’s no scorekeeping.
Love keeps no records of wrongs.
You cannot outgive love- love come from God and God’s love is infinite. Not only is it infinite- but it is deeper and higher and wider and broader than you could ever imagine. Love rejoices for what God has already done and the evidence in this of all He can do.
Love rejoices in truth.
“ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs….…(love) rejoices in truth.” I Corinthians 13:4,5,6b(NIV)
