Exploration of Love

What is love?

What, truly, is love? Do I have it?

If I can serve all I have and not have love, what is love?

I used to think it was serving; all that I had given in sweat and tears.

If I can give all I have, and be poor, but have not love, I am nothing.

I thought it was to lend freely, and to all of those in need, but if I have not love- it is nothing.

Speak out of love,

Dance out of love,

Worship out of love.

Write in love.

Carry yourself in love.

Walk in love.

Serve in love.

Sing in love.

Laugh in love.

Dream in love.

Breathe in love.

Give in love.

Act in love.

Forgive in love.

Reserve your heart out of love.

Give your heart out of love.

Think out of love.

Create out of love.

Plan out of love.

Rest in love.

Pursue out of love.

Endure out of love.

Live your life, all out of love.

The purpose is that all transgression shall be covered.

But let it be an outpouring of your heart; lest you boast about your love, about your own strength- for that is not love at all.

The Greatest Gift to Desire: Love.

It seems that love should be laid out. Let’s see, for thousands of years people have pursued and claimed it to be the only way, but who of them have succeeded? I struggle, so deeply. Give me a list so I know exactly how I am supposed to act; as if love was just an action. It would be relief if I knew how to always feel love, if love was just a feeling. Love is not just an action; love is not just a feeling. Love is actually a strange word; it is action and patience, it is just enough and never too much; Love is an extreme burst, yet always in consistency.  I thought that perhaps love was what I thought of Jesus; sacrifice. I traveled down the path of serving because surely, that was love. I gave up many of my passions, to pursue what I thought to be the “holy” life; I thought this was out of love.

1 Corinthians 12:31, as the Apostle Paul is talking about the gifts to desire, and how the body of Christ comes together because of their different parts. Then he exclaims, as if to emphasize and diminish his previous chapter, “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” Interestingly enough, he continues on to talk about what LOVE truly is- not prophesy, giving, teaching. This halts my heart and creates a stumbling block for my mind. The greatest gift to be desired is love.

Love is a gift that we all have, because it was placed deep in our beings; we were created in love, we are encouraged by love and gently disciplined and shaped in love. Our lives are based in the love of God and Christ, regardless of our acknowledgement of Him who knows our hearts. Love is so strong, and lacks all pride. Therefore you need not acknowledge it for it to truly be; our world was created and based completely in love, it is what holds us together today.

So if we have nothing without love, and if love is the business of the Lord, then how can we grasp onto it- to do all that we are in love? And how important must it be, if it is what created you and me?

As we do all in love, remember Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all transgressions.” Is this not the heart of the Lord? Again, Peter tells us in 1Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” This is the very act that Christ did for us. But truly, Love is not a destination; I believe love is the greatest mystery of God. I believe that if God is love, and God is more miraculous than we can understand; then it must be true that love is greater than we know or could understand.