[I have new writings in the pipeline, but I really want to get all of my writing into one place. Here's a throwback to a post I wrote in 2020 while recovering from a broken ankle.]
Love :: Hard Work
Love, love, love. 💕 You cannot get away from it this time of year. Stores have had their Valentine's merchandise out since the calendar flipped to January 1, if not before that. Commercials are constantly urging you to buy extravagant gifts for your one true love. The more you spend, the bigger and better your love is, they imply. That's simply not true. Love doesn't need to be proven by any extravagant or expensive measure. If my marriage was judged by our pricey gifts to one another, you would think we had little to no lovey-dovey feelings for each other. You would also be sorely mistaken.
Currently, our love looks a bit lopsided. It looks like my husband helping me shower, running errands, doing the grocery shopping, and waking the kids up every school day. It looks like holding hands in bed and listening to me cry and vent in frustration about how I feel like I'm doing absolutely nothing useful while following doctor's orders. It looks like making sure I have everything I might need available before he leaves for work. (I'm short and our kitchen cabinets are not.😉) Love looks like helping me get dressed and making sure I can safely navigate stairs on crutches to leave the house.
It's not always this uneven, I promise! It's difficult to do the things I normally do to show love while on crutches or a knee scooter. I'm hoping to get back to making the morning coffee and packing a lunch for my hubby soon. Before long, I am going to surprise him with a date at home. Love is not always an absolute even give-and-take.
As a Christian, I have long defined love by the words in the "love chapter", specifically 1st Corinthians 13:4-7:
What do all of these traits have in common? They are choices. These choices need to be made on a daily basis, if not more often. Making these choices repeatedly is what strengthens our love for each other.
Love is a choice.
It's an everyday choice, much like getting dressed. We are capable of choosing the type of clothing we wear every day. The choice we make plays a big part in how our day goes. It's the same when we choose to love. Colossians 3 reads a lot like a list of choices for Christians to make. It tells new believers what they should give up from their past life, and what they should strive for as a follower of Christ. A section of this chapter likens good characteristics to articles of clothing we should put on. Verse 14 always strikes me: "And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony." To me, this verse is a reminder to make the important choice to love those around us day after day.
Love is a command.
It is. We are commanded to love God and to love others. It goes far beyond our marriage relationships. We must choose to love our kids, our neighbors, our bosses, our co-workers...everyone. Matthew 22:37-40 says, "Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." Doing anything with all your heart, soul, and mind will take an enormous amount of effort. We need to plan on love taking work on our end, no matter who it is we are showing love.
Love is steadfast.
God's love for us is steadfast. It is resolute and firm and unwavering. As human beings, we often find ourselves giving or withholding love based on our feelings. This is not the way God loves. We cannot change the love God has for us, and He will not change that love. He wants us to mirror His love for us in the way we love others. It is not always easy, but it is what God asks of us.
Are you choosing to follow God's command to love Him and show others His steadfast love?
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