Love

"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 does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I love the color pink!

I love Christmas time!

I love the KU Jayhawks!

I love my husband!

I love each of my three kids for the amazing individuals that they are!

I love Jesus.

But love is not just a word or a list of things we enjoy, desire or believe in.  Love is an action.

Love is a verb.  It is patient, kind, selfless...

Love requires doing.  It is not passive.  it is not stagnate.  It is not easy.

I love the color pink.  I wear it, a lot.  And people are able to see by my actions that I love the color pink.

I love Christmas time.  So I embrace it and I celebrate it.  I am already playing Christmas music, I will decorate this weekend.  Christmas time is not always an easy time, it takes a lot of work, and is often frustrating.  I get over scheduled and stressed out.  I run out of time, money and patience.  But I still love it.  And because I love Christmas, and more importantly what it represents, I do these things, like decorating, buying gifts, and listening to Christmas music.  And you can tell by my actions that I love Christmas.

I love the Jayhawks.  I schedule in the time to watch their games, I cheer them on.  This often means sacrificing something else I want to do, or taking time away from something I could be doing.  But I love the Jayhawks, so I give them my time, I follow their season, wear their colors.  You can tell by my actions that I love the Jayhawks

I love my husband.  He is everything I ever hoped for in a husband and then some.  But loving him requires action on my part.  It  requires sacrifice, selflessness, and at times submission (one of my least favorite words). It requires patience, and not keeping a record of who last unloaded the dishwasher, folded the laundry or made dinner.  It means setting aside my anger, giving him the benefit of the doubt, and being kind to him, even when my feelings are hurt.  Loving him requires me to trust that he loves me too and will do all that he can to support and protect our family.  It means setting aside my to do list to help him with his.  It means setting aside my desires and listening to his.  It means letting go of control sometimes and letting him make the decision.   And hopefully, people can tell by my actions that I love my husband.

I love each of my three children.  Not just because they are my children but because I really, really like who they are, and who they are becoming.  But this love requires action.  For me, it required me giving up my career so I could be the mom they needed me to be.   It requires more patience than I have in my own selfish human form. It requires holding my temper when they push my buttons and speaking to them kindly.  It requires that I keep no record of the wrong they do, but actively forgive them each and every time.  People can see by my actions that I love my children.

I love Jesus.  But this love must be more than words.  It needs to be an action.  People should be able to see by my actions that I love Jesus.  The question is can they?  Am I patient and  kind?  Am I one who doesn't envy or boast, who isn't proud?  Am I selfless, slow to anger, do I hate evil and rejoice in truth?  Because this is what love looks like.  

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue…" (because that isn't really love at all) "but with actions and in truth" 1 John 3:18.  Because love is an action.