When I was a little girl, I remember in our hometown newspaper every week they would post a “Love Is” … cartoon along with a caption underneath. I remember looking so forward to reading them and I would even cut a lot of them out of the newspaper and paste them on whatever paper I had. It was something about each description that captured my childish heart. There is just something about “love” that lures and captivates the human heart. Everyone wants to be loved whether they admit it. And it is just programed into us to want to give love. God is love!
My family and I were living and working in Hawaii many years ago. My husband and I were arguing about something. I cannot even remember what it was about but what I remember is the lesson that my Lord taught me that day concerning His Love! As I was reminding my husband of what I felt he had done wrong, I took it a step further and rehashed all the other times that I had been witness to when he had done the same thing before. He said nothing. He did not even try to defend himself. This infuriated me more, and I stalked off. As I was walking away, I heard in my mind, “Love does not keep a record of wrongs.” It stopped me dead in my tracks. Now, where had I heard that before? The statement came so gentle that it was almost a whisper. It came not as a harsh rebuke but more of a gentle reminder. I turned around and looked at my husband and saw a man that I loved so much. I was as if God enlarged my heart and opened it up and poured in so much love. How could I no longer be angry with him? How could I no longer hold on to my pride and instead of continuing to accuse him, ask him to forgive me? Love!
1 Corinthians 13: 3-13 Living Bible Translation
3 If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever. 4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him. 8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge—these gifts will disappear. 9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. 10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear. 11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. 12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now. 13 There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Now that is something to ponder!