Words of Love, part II

by Rebecca Irwin

This week, I am continuing my self-imposed study on the power of words. Last week, I wrote on words of love - Christ's love for us. As that truth trickled down, I realized as His disciple, I should allow His love to spill out of my life onto others. But, what if I don't FEEL like being loving to my neighbor, or my husband, or my children, or my family, and maybe right now, even my friends? What if I feel isolated and edged out of intimacy? What if I don't see why I should be loving to others, when they are not loving to me? How do I bring my strong and stubborn will into obedience of the second greatest commandment my Lord has given me (love your neighbor as yourself)?

Colossians 3:14 says : "And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." I was, in fact stunned at the 'everything' love binds together : compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. Those characteristics sound like they could get me past my own little self and help me focus on someone else. In a book I read on marriage, it advised me to read 1 Corinthians 13 over and over and commit the characteristics of love to memory. Condensed, they are : patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not arrogant or rude, not insistent on your way, not irritable, not resentful, rejoicing in the truth, tolerant, believing, hoping, enduring, unfailing. All of that is woven into the cloth of what love is!!

This week I challenged myself, and my workout partner consequentially, to memorize I Corinthians 13:4-8a. My simple logic was that I cannot BE love if I do not remember what love is. As we swam, each stroke became a word and after three mornings, I can recite it. This simple exercise also caused me to think about the manifestations of love. For example, like a splash of cold water, it struck me that love is first of all patient. More importantly, perhaps, I realized over the last few weeks, even more profoundly that love is a verb in God's economy, it is not a feeling. There is no stock placed on how I feel, but how I do. These are character qualities, not emotions we read in the lists of love. Perhaps the greatest waterfall in this study was that as I ACT loving toward the people I encounter, I (eventually-remember, patience) FEEL more love for them. May God, by His spirit, help me to sprinkle others with His loving kindness.

Jesus, like a beautiful coat of colors, I will choose to put on love. Thank you for showing me the characteristics that are woven into the tapestry called love. It is so detailed, so lovely. It is definitely seen in your finest works. I know I will fail to always show love. I know my emotions will get their way sometimes. But, I pray that when I feel those things that love is not, my mind will recall the things love is and choose love. Amen.