Reality of Love

The other day, I heard love explained as "a fragile thing that we struggle through, hoping that it survives."

My immediate reaction was to wonder where they got an explanation like that! Whatever happened to "love never fails"? What about "if you don't have love you're nothing"? And "love has no end"?Growing up in a Chrisitan home gave me the privilege of defining love the way the Bible defines it. In 1 Corinthinas 13 love is defined like this:

"If I speak in the languages of men and angels but don't have love, I'm only a clanging cymbal...If I give all I have to the poor and even allow my body to be burned, but don't have love, I'm nothing...Love is-patient, kind, doesn't envy or boast, isn't proud, rude, self-seeking, or easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs - always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres - never fails."(It also goes on to say a lot more and give more details of love.)

If the above list is true then love is pretty strong! 'Always perseveres'? That is major strength - whithout even touching all the other things love is. So, which is true? The first statement or the second one? Is it fragile or strong?   

Then...I remembered 1 John 4:8, "God is love" and realized...in a society that is trying to forget God, to lose God, is it any wonder that they forget love, lose sight of or can't grasp the reality of love? In modern day America, with all the gadgets and buttons that give us e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g., something is very obviously missing! We are taught to be self-seeking, self-serving, self-focused beings. That second list on love sounds so different from everything else we hear that it often gets pushed aside in the search for fulfillment.   

We've been created for love because we've been created for God! I've found that it's impossible to have one without the other. He created us because of His desire for relationship and placed in us that same innate desire. When we turn to Him we find complete, unedited love. But...true love is so utterly fulfilling that it, He, doesn't let us stay there. Remember? Love 'sounds so different from everything else we hear.'     

It's patient. 

It's kind.

It doesn't envy.

It doesn't boast.

It's not proud.

It keeps no record of wrongs.

Always protects.

Always trusts.

Always hopes. 

Always perseveres. 

Love never fails. 

It goes beyond ourselves! When we were given the charge to be the hands and feet of Jesus (Matt. 28) we were given the charge to be the hands and feet of love. Am I always patient? No. Or kind? um..not really. Going on down the list and asking more of these questions makes me cringe because I so often am NOT very loving or lovable, according to those high standards. But, is God? Oh, yes! He's all these things - He's the definition of it. John 15:13 says, "No greater love has anyone than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jesus did that. And the cool, the very spectacular cool part? He. is. in. us! (John 14:20) Which means, love is in us! Tho we mess up, "love NEVER fails"! No, it's not an excuse, it's HOPE :D 

And that, my friends, is the bare reality of love.