Chapter 4

Chapter 4

What Is Love? Baby Don’t Hurt Me

Let’s talk about love for a minute. Now you may think I am not qualified to talk about love, and you are probably right. I’ve never been in love. I’ve THOUGHT I was in love but we can all laugh at the times we thought this, right? I have to admit I’m glad what I thought was love wasn’t. I say that because what I was defining as love wasn’t good. It wasn’t what it was suppose to be. If that was love I don’t want it … thankfully it isn’t.

We always hear 1 Corinthians 13 read at weddings and we tune it out because we have heard it so many times. I personally have a closet full of bridesmaid dresses in a rainbow of colors … so believe me … I’ve heard these verses before. But I was doing my scripture reading the other morning and those were the verses I had to read and I was shocked at what I read.

I think I am good at loving. I’m good at sharing and caring and opening up to people. If I love you I’m going to care about you and make sure you are ok. And if not I’m going to try to make it better. I’m a giver. I’m a lover. But I think I might have had it all wrong. Below are the verses and what I read that shocked me are in bold.

“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 wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Um … oops!

This is NOT the kind of love I have been giving. There are people in my life right now that I think I love more than anything. These are a few friends of mine and my family. I would say I think i have pretty much just been picking and choosing the parts of these verses to live out because I have failed terribly at the other parts.

Love is patient … well one thing I haven’t been in a few of my relationships is patient. I want it all now! Right now! When I give to my friends I don’t expect them to do anything back. I’ve never given to get, but I think I expect the Lord to bless me NOW! If I give love then I want the Lord to pat me on the back and bless the friendship NOW! I want to know what He has planned for us in the future. I have been anything but patient!

Now we come back to the envy thing. I’ve already addressed my jealously issue and now it’s envy. Yep. I’ve failed here too. I have a bad problem of comparing myself to my friend’s friends. You know what I mean? Like I have a problem of not feeling as important as the other friends in my friend’s lives. I know I have said friends a lot but stay with me. I always think, “They talk to them more. They laugh with them more. They must be a better friend than I am.” Since when did I become a mind-reader? I’m speaking on things I know nothing about when I assume and become jealous. Each friendship is different. I cannot compare myself and definitely shouldn’t be envious.

I could go on and on about the parts of these verses that I do not adhere to but it would just be boring. All I do know is that I am glad I read this when I did and I’m glad it gave me a good swift kick in the gut.

I have too many valuable relationships in my life that deserve the TRUE kind of love and a love that encompasses all of the above aspects and many more. I pray that my awakening in this area helps me later in life if the Lord decides to send me a husband, but until that day I must use these directions to help me in my friendships so that I can love better and be a better friend to those I love the most.

If you have this kind of love, embrace it! Go to that person right now and tell them how much you love them. This is priceless! Relationships and friendships based on the love the Lord has commanded us to have are the most precious things. Don’t take them for granted. So do it, go on facebook, text message, call or email and let the people you love know you love them.

True love will change this world if we learn to do it right. I’m taking that first step right now!