Love is…
Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Never having to say your sorry?
Do you remember the popular saying which grew from the tag line to the Love Story movie? For me, this was playing out in a chaotic part of life complete with teenage angst. I’m not sure any teen likes to admit defeat or say sorry since they mostly feel they are always right. But something about this statement always bothered me. Apparently, I wasn’t alone.
In 1970, an Australian artist named Kim Casali was drawing adorable little characters surrounded by hearts and proclaiming many statements about what “love is…” based on her real feelings for the true love of her life. She changed the movie quote to say, “Love is… Being able to say you’re sorry.” I agree, and I was fascinated by her story and the baby she had by her husband 17 months after his death. Read it on Wikipedia if you want to know more.
Because love is far more than a few words, or even a world full of books, there’s no way to put all of what love is into a single blog post. I can tell you that in the parts of speech, love can be a noun, a verb (that definition became a book series), or an adjective as in love language (which also became at least one book), but it’s so much more than speech. I can tell you about what love is in my own life, but that would take far more than one story. So, I decided to ask Gemini for 10 examples of what “love is” from Bible Scripture. Here are the statements it came up with along with Scripture references. I added links to the Bible.com site (or app if you have it) from the World English Bible (WEB US)….
* Love is patient and kind. It doesn’t rush to judgment and responds to harshness with gentleness. (1 Corinthians 13:4)
* Love is sacrificial. It is defined by the willingness to lay down one’s own life or interests for the sake of another. (John 15:13)
* Love is an action, not just a feeling. It is expressed through “deed and truth” rather than just words or speech. (1 John 3:18)
* Love is the fulfillment of the law. When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we naturally uphold all other moral commands. (Romans 13:10)
* Love is the “perfect bond of unity.” It acts as the glue that holds a community or relationship together in harmony. (Colossians 3:14)
* Love is the evidence of knowing God. Because “God is love,” those who truly know Him will reflect His character by loving others. (1 John 4:7–8)
* Love is not self-seeking. It does not insist on its own way or demand its own rights above the needs of others. (1 Corinthians 13:5)
* Love is a choice to forgive. It does not keep a “record of wrongs” but chooses to move forward in grace. (1 Corinthians 13:5)
* Love is courageous. It casts out fear, allowing us to be vulnerable and honest without the dread of punishment. (1 John 4:18)
* Love is eternal. While other gifts and seasons pass away, the value and impact of love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:8)
My challenge to you readers is to come up with your own, personalized, list of what love is. You might say something like, “Love is my husband making me the perfect scrambled egg breakfast with green peppers, tomato, onion, and goat cheese.” Yes, my hubby really does that, and I taste the love he thinks he’s adding without my seeing it. 😁 Put your list on pretty paper to remind yourself of the love you hold on the days when it’s hard to remember. And never forget that God’s Holy Word is His love letter to us and that every good and perfect gift is love coming from Him.
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I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy…
Do you remember the Sunday School song begun in the title? If so, and since it’s my birthday tomorrow, my wish is for you to sing this fun tune (from way back in 1926) with me:
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart;
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart to stay.
I've got the peace that passes understanding,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart;
I've got the peace that passes understanding,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart to stay.
I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart;
I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus,
Down in my heart, (where?)
Down in my heart to stay.
And I had to share this as part of my birthday celebration because with age, I need that joy in my heart more than ever. I’ve always been a joy seeker and have even been described as “bright and bubbly.” One person from across a congregation would watch for me to get into a conversation because she knew I would likely smile about something, and she said she loved my smile because I smiled with my whole being.
Truthfully, though, when you get older and you look in the mirror and see the weight and the tired eyes (I know, I need to take my own advice from a couple days ago to look beyond the mirror), it makes it easier to frown in frustration than smile with joy. But I must remember that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and joy (plus peace and love) are the fruit of His Spirit. They are part of His personality dwelling within me, so they remain the same no matter my external circumstances.
And here’s a video of a couple singing this with some pretty harmonies and even the added chorus that says, “And I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart; yes I’m so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart.”
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A Little Bit of Snow
(CC BY-NC-SA)
Brr 🥶! Super cold temperatures are absolutely not my favorite thing. Ice storms, snow storms, and dips below freezing (32°f) make me want to stay hidden in a warm house under cozy blankets.
My husband made the statement that “it’s not that bad” and that started a whole conversation. Why does it seem worse to me than it does to him? Simple, I was not raised with cold or snow. If my sister and I saw a little ice in a puddle, we would slide a shoe over it like our one foot was ice skating. If we found a little bit of snow, we got really excited and wanted to touch it or crunch through it the way little boys love to splash in rain puddles. But both were rare in Southern California.
My first experience with strong cold and lots of snow was when my photography company sent me to Wisconsin in the middle of an arctic cold front. The temperature was 35° below zero, and it dropped to 84° below zero with the wind chill. I was warned not to breathe the air in without a scarf over my mouth, and my co-worker had to have her car towed to a garage to warm it up just to get started. That would be harsh for anyone, but those who live in that kind of cold regularly are prepared. Some even have plugs on their cars to connect to available power sources to heat their oil. It’s not that bad where I live now in Kentuckiana, but it’s still hard on my Western-raised body, even after 35 years here.
Do you have any life changes that have been harder for you to deal with because of a lack of familiarity? For example, if you were raised in a dysfunctional family, maybe going to someone else’s family gathering is somewhat uncomfortable. Or, maybe like me, you are childless, and hearing women talk about having babies or raising children feels awkward because you cannot relate to any of it. On the other hand, I imagine women who have traditional families, pregnancies, births, etc., and then read Scriptures about the curses that often made women in the Bible barren, may feel awkward with me. They must wonder if there’s a curse involved because I wondered that for a long time myself.
See, experience breeds familiarity, and familiarity breeds confidence. My husband is far more confident about driving in the snow than I will ever be. But driving in snow, no matter how much fear it creates in me, is a little thing compared to the blinding Light of Christ to an unbeliever who was never raised around godliness or biblical Scripture. 1 Peter 2:9 speaks of God “calling us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” If you’ve ever come out of a dark room into bright light, you know what this is describing.
When we minister to those who are not familiar with the Gospel, we need to think of the way unfamiliar things make us feel. We need to remember that light can be blinding to those who have been in the dark for a long time. And we need to teach with such compassion and understanding that we are not surprised when a person we’re trying to teach feels overwhelmed by what we are used to in our walks with The Lord. If they reject the message for a time, it doesn’t mean you or I are bad teachers. Even Jesus did not convince every person He reached out to. Sometimes, someone is just set in their own ways and refuses to consider a new way. Other times, it may just take some time for their spiritual eyes to adjust to The Light. That’s when we let them play in just a little bit of snow for a bit until they’re ready for the deep stuff. ❄️
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