The following topic has been on my heart a lot lately. It is my prayer that as I write this post and as you read it, we both find ourselves challenged to do better, to be better, and that we find ourselves encouraged to reach above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the lives of others.
Aside from Valentine's Day, why is February considered the month of love? Why can't EVERY month be the month of love? In fact, what is stopping us from making EVERY DAY the day to love more, to love deeper?
What exactly does it mean to love deeper? Well, the adjective deep means "very intense or extreme" - and intense means "of extreme force, degree, strength" - and extreme means "reaching a high or the highest degree; very great." Therefore, from my understanding, to love deeper means to love someone to the highest degree, the greatest amount.
Now let's look at 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 which reads, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. Love never fails."
The first half is self-explanatory. All signs may point to a Christian lifestyle (giving to the poor, feeding the hungry, attending church, etc.), but if we do not love, we've missed the point, as the two greatest commandments are "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).'"
The second half is a little trickier because it challenges us to take a look at ourselves and how we treat others. It challenges us to peel back the layers and believe me, it won't be pretty. When studying 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 a year or two ago in Bible study, my friend encouraged us to replace the words love and it with our first name. Yikes! For example:
Aside from Valentine's Day, why is February considered the month of love? Why can't EVERY month be the month of love? In fact, what is stopping us from making EVERY DAY the day to love more, to love deeper?
What exactly does it mean to love deeper? Well, the adjective deep means "very intense or extreme" - and intense means "of extreme force, degree, strength" - and extreme means "reaching a high or the highest degree; very great." Therefore, from my understanding, to love deeper means to love someone to the highest degree, the greatest amount.
Now let's look at 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 which reads, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. Love never fails."
The first half is self-explanatory. All signs may point to a Christian lifestyle (giving to the poor, feeding the hungry, attending church, etc.), but if we do not love, we've missed the point, as the two greatest commandments are "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).'"
The second half is a little trickier because it challenges us to take a look at ourselves and how we treat others. It challenges us to peel back the layers and believe me, it won't be pretty. When studying 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 a year or two ago in Bible study, my friend encouraged us to replace the words love and it with our first name. Yikes! For example:
Kristin is patient.
Kristin does not envy.
Kristin is not easily angered.
Kristin keeps no records of wrongs.
Is that convicting or what!? I do NOT fit those descriptions on a daily basis. I can be impatient. I've been envious of others more times than I can count. I've been easily angered, especially after losing to my brothers in basketball for the umpteenth time, and I have, without a doubt, kept records of the wrongs done to me (ladies, this is also known as holding a grudge). We are a work in progress and, as you can see, there is ALWAYS room for improvement!
Let's go above and beyond surface-level loving. Let's dive in and make a splash so big, those around us can't help but be affected by the ripples. I encourage you to replace the words love and it with your name so that, together, we can strive to love deeper in every aspect of our lives...whether that be showing kindness to the AT&T worker who is trying to help us set up our voicemail password, not slamming the basketball down after losing a game of 21, forgiving those who have done us wrong, etc. Peel back the layers. There's a reason love is included in the two greatest commandments.
I would like to encourage everyone (myself included) to find ways to love deeper, for if we do not love, we are only clanging symbols, resounding gongs. Don't wait for Valentine's Day to love those around you. Do it now, right where you are. Do it today, tomorrow, and every day after that. Go above and beyond! Remember, "ordinary can become EXTRAordinary with just a little EXTRA!" Challenge yourself to make a difference in the lives of those around you by loving them to the highest degree, expecting nothing in return. Whatever you do, don't miss the point: love God and love others.
Is that convicting or what!? I do NOT fit those descriptions on a daily basis. I can be impatient. I've been envious of others more times than I can count. I've been easily angered, especially after losing to my brothers in basketball for the umpteenth time, and I have, without a doubt, kept records of the wrongs done to me (ladies, this is also known as holding a grudge). We are a work in progress and, as you can see, there is ALWAYS room for improvement!
Let's go above and beyond surface-level loving. Let's dive in and make a splash so big, those around us can't help but be affected by the ripples. I encourage you to replace the words love and it with your name so that, together, we can strive to love deeper in every aspect of our lives...whether that be showing kindness to the AT&T worker who is trying to help us set up our voicemail password, not slamming the basketball down after losing a game of 21, forgiving those who have done us wrong, etc. Peel back the layers. There's a reason love is included in the two greatest commandments.
I would like to encourage everyone (myself included) to find ways to love deeper, for if we do not love, we are only clanging symbols, resounding gongs. Don't wait for Valentine's Day to love those around you. Do it now, right where you are. Do it today, tomorrow, and every day after that. Go above and beyond! Remember, "ordinary can become EXTRAordinary with just a little EXTRA!" Challenge yourself to make a difference in the lives of those around you by loving them to the highest degree, expecting nothing in return. Whatever you do, don't miss the point: love God and love others.
Welcome to blogspot!!!! Loved your sweet words! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!!!!!!
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