Love...

Rob & I have been talking again about "family issues"- translation the dysfunction in our family backgrounds and the choices we made in how to deal with it and what we could/should/might do about it in the future.... I've also been thinking about work "hurts" and the way some coworkers don't seem to like me... It fits with this too.

I felt "led" to read about love today, hmmm...

I Corinthians 13...

"... Love suffers long & is kind
Love does not envy
love does not parade itself and is not "puffed up"
love does not behave rudely
love does not seek its own
love is not provoked & thinks no evil
love does not rejoice in sin but in the truth
love bears all things
love believes all things & hopes all things
love endures all things
love never fails..."

Here is a verse that really made me think today: vs. 11- "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

And I've always loved this verse because I'm not good at the "faith" thing (I never have been & when you attend a pentecostal church- which I don't anymore-, well that can be a problem) and sometimes, when things have been their darkest, I found it hard to hope, but God knows I love Him more than anything and He has given me a love for sometimes unlove-able kids and parents and He gave Rob and I a love for each other when our marriage was not too hot, so I love this verse... I guess I feel like I may be bad at everything else, but at least on this one God won't turn me away because He knows I do love.

vs. 13- "And now abide faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love."

So, I'm thinking of my family issues again & work. Given what Christ did for me (the original gift & the TONS of other stuff- repeated forgiveness, repeated patience, repeated teaching & reteaching, not giving up on me or getting so frustrated at me that He throws in the towel, blessings too many to mention.... Am I really living up to the real meaning of "love?" Where I was ten or fifteen years ago, well I was "a child" then- in my early-mid 20's trying to deal with a lot of stressors and not knowing as many of the "facts" of life or the "facts" of situations as I do now. But now, aren't I finally becoming a "man/woman/grown-up" in Christ? I sure hope so! :) So shouldn't I quit looking at things through my own eyes and see what He says?

"... Love suffers long & is kind-
Sometimes love has to suffer because we're none of us perfect, but it is still kind- I can still be kind; I don't have to bring up the past. I don't have to join in if I don't want to, but I don't have to be hurtful to say no either. I don't have to be "ugly" just because others are. I can still be kind. And, when I think about it at work, I have been. I haven't spread gossip or rumors or talked bad about others. I smile and try to be friendly. I don't have to be best friends and sit around and shoot the breeze and not doing so doesn't make me unkind either.

Love does not envy-
I don't have to envy cousins, aunts, uncles, others who have relationships I don't

love does not parade itself and is not "puffed up"-
I don't need to defend my momma's family or my momma or even myself; first of all, no one is perfect and no family is perfect and I'm not responsible for things my family may have said or done and we all are in need of forgiveness and mercy; I need to remember that scripture I like- "don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing that your charitable deed may be in secret" Do what I do for Him and don't worry about the rest

love does not behave rudely
I can't be rude, but that doesn't mean I have to try to be everyone's best friend either. I don't have to participate in after school socializing if I need to get work done and get to my kids. I don't have to talk on the phone if I am uncomfortable with it.

love does not seek its own
Don't think of myself, think of others- what do they need? how can I serve them? what would God want me to do for them?

love is not provoked & thinks no evil
I can't be "ugly"- I need to make sure I don't behave in an unforgiving manner, hold grudges, be rude, gossip, listen to gossip, give my hurts and frustrations to God first & foremost

love does not rejoice in sin but in the truth
don't laugh at evil and sinful things; don't participate or listen to conversations that involve things God wouldn't approve of, don't be "holier-than-thou" but just don't participate

love bears all things, believes all things & hopes all things
I need family that "bears" with me on my bad days, that believes in me (even if I don't) and hopes the best for me. I need to be that for my family too. I need to be there as a "cheerleader" for my coworkers, students, families. I need to bear with their bad days too and believe & hope for good things for them too

love endures all things
I need to endure through hard days just like I want those around me to endure me when I am less than patient, less than kind, less than what I should be. I need to remember that God didn't promise a life of happiness and prosperity, but He promised to be with us always

love never fails
If I have God's love, & He never fails, then I need to never fail. Though that is the perfect standard, and I'm far from perfect, I need to strive for that goal, and try to limit the # of times I am faith-less to God, first, to my family 2nd, and to others

I need to think like a "man/woman" and act like one too. I know I've been trying. God help me to get it right for You!