Amor.

From March 11, 2008

I Corinthians 13:4-8

"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 keep no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..."

Romans 12: 9-17

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil."

Romans 13:9-10
"The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

I Peter 4:8-10
"Above all else, love deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithful administering God's grace in its various form."

I Timothy 1:5
"The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Ephesians 5:1-2
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Can we remove all romantic connotations from the word for just a few moments? Love is pure, but the concept is tainted by the secular definitions. In all these verses, the "love" is not complimented by words such as "marriage", but rather the idea of reaching out to others, no matter who they may be.

Love is a word that is often thrown around quite meaninglessly, most likely because most people do not truly understand what love truly is. Now I do not claim to be an expert, but I would consider Paul one. And his description of love, as seen in I Corinthians covers it all.

It's the end of that segment that touches me the most. "Love never fails." I think it's complete crap when people utter the words, "I just don't love him/her anymore." If that's the case, then it obviously wasn't love to begin with. The things of the world are fickle and uncertain, but love is of God, and if there is one certain in life, than it is Him. If anyone's experiences with love goes against what He has said in anyway, then I am confident to say that it was not quite love.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demon, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Christ in Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Now that's love.

Of course, we are repeatedly told to love our neighbors, but I'm sure we all question whether or not it's possible to have such a sincere love for everyone, including people we haven't meant. Obviously, there must be different levels of love, defined by the amount of fervor behind it, but the same principle still remains. Though not as invested in the homeless man I pass on the street daily as I am with my mother, I am still expected to reach out to him just the same.

But I believe to fulfill the criteria of love as stated above from the Bible, certain prerequisites in the relationship aren't needed, especially since we are not talking of "romantic" love at this moment. Thus I am constantly inspired to reach out in the best way I can to everyone who may need it. It's a thought that has been swimming around in my mind a lot for the past weeks, but I feel like I haven't exactly acted on it. No, I do not blatantly shun people, but there is always more than I can be doing to show love.

I Peter 4:8-10 especially speaks to me on this matter. Verse 8 has always been one of my favorite verses, but recently I've noted the following verses. It is not a coincidence that Peter speaks of hospitality right after he mentions love. So I want to be available to anyone who may need me, may it be in the simplest way or in the most complex way. I realize how easy it is to show love and how the slightest gesture can mean a lot to a person.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithful administering God's grace in its various form."

Another thing that I am now becoming more focused on. I've been quite aware of my talents for some time now, mostly because compliments on them have been shoved down my throat since I was about seven. But it's come to the point that I realize that I shouldn't be using my gifts for my own joy, but for the joy of the Lord and of others. Especially in my case, when I have talents that specifically can be used to impact others (creativity, writing, humor). And without even meaning to, I've seen lately that these abilities have already been used by God to touch the lives of others, but I am not willing to just stop there. I want to take it to another level.

I just think it's very important to be a beacon of the love of the Lord. More important than myself, after all, is others.

Love is a simple concept with a powerful results. It can change moments, lives, the world. It's something we all need to be more conscience. Instead of automatically equivocating this concept to romance, we need to broaden our definitions to encompass what God truly means it as.

And this is regard to not just our friend and family, but enemies and strangers as well.

Let it be known that I am working on a blank state here. Despite lack of compatibilities or events that may have occurred in the past, I am willing to love and I'm going to love. And I think I've lost the central point of this note long ago.

But then again, isn't the central point love? 'Cause unlike most things, love never fails.

I love you all.