Love

Over the past couple months I have thought a lot about love. Not just romantic love, but the love we have for our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ.

My thoughts took me back to 1 Corinthians 13. Often read at weddings, this is the "love passage." This passage gives a long list of love's attributes. Although I had read it many times, I found myself wondering if Paul mentioned anywhere in the passage that love is easy.

So, I got out my Bible and took a look. Nope, nowhere in the entire chapter does Paul say love is simple or easy. So, how does Paul describe love?

The first adjective he uses is patient. Oh, great. I am not a patient person at all, just take a look at my driving. I imagine patience is a hard thing for most people in our "I want it now" society. There you go, one adjective in and it's already a struggle. Paul then goes on to list other things love is and some of them seem incredibly difficult. Love isn't easily angered? Hmmm.....again, back to that driving history.

I also got to thinking about love for self. If we are to love others as we love ourselves, we have to know how to love ourselves in a healthy way. So, when Paul tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs, what does that mean for forgiving ourselves? I believe we should always learn from our mistakes, but if love means not keeping a record of wrongs and we need to love ourselves so we can love others in the same way, we have to come to the point where we can forgive ourselves. Then we can forgive others and, in love, keep no record of their wrongs just as we have done with ourselves.

And yet, to demonstrate the love Paul describes seems incredibly difficult, even as a Christian. So, how do we even begin to live this love? I think it goes back to the message in Philippians 2:5. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (NIV).

Our attitude determines so much of how we live our lives. Our attitude affects our hearts and our minds. It makes or breaks our day. It can restore or destroy our relationships. When we think of surrending our entire hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to Christ, we must also consider attitude.

Yes, the love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 is the natural nature of God. Yet, Paul knew enough not to say it was natural for humans. The only way to even begin to live a life of this love is to focus on making our attitude the same as Christ Jesus.

In focusing on Jesus Christ as the example of what our attitude should be, we cease to look at ourselves and our seemingly lack of capacity to achieve this kind of love, and instead focus on our Savior. Then, when we are focusing on him, we find that love becomes more natural. Focusing on Christ is the only way to acheive a 1 Corinthians 13 love.

May we live a life of love every day.