What is love? This chapter gives me a good idea of what love is and what love does. The chapter begins with telling me what my life is without love. It lists all these great accomplishments, and then reminds me that if I don't have love that they mean nothing. I can apply this to my own life. Humans need love. I think just as much as food, air and water. Love is needed for survival. If you don't have love you can continue to exist, but will die in a way. I think that our creator loves and love starts with Him, and we need to love and be loved based off of His example.
I hate when I read something in the Bible that I've heard a thousand times before. It has no meaning to me just because I've heard it so many times. This morning, I tried to look closer. Think about what is being said, and how it applies to my life. I take love for granted. I love my wife. I love my sons. I love my God. I feel that they love me back. I can try to imagine what I would be if I didn't have that love. I imagine an incredible feeling of emptiness. I wouldn't like that. I'm glad I have love in my life.
So, the beginning of the chapter tells me that my accomplishments mean nothing without love. It goes on to talk about what love is. Love is...patient, kind; does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I can see that this is true. When I feel love, or when I feel that I am loving, all these things are in place. The last part of this phrase confuses me a bit. "...believes all things..." Not sure what that means, but the rest makes sense to me. Good thing I have some commentary in my Bible. I guess it refers to relationships with people and not faith in God. I believe in my son, for example, and I hope the best for him. I will pour out my love to my son in believing in him and hoping in him and enduring with him. I guess that's what it manes. The same can be applied to my wife and other people I love.
It's not easy to love. I'm freaking selfish! I want to love myself so much. I have a sick tendency to do this. I want to put myself first over my son, over my wife, over God. Even while I'm enjoying my quiet time this morning. I'm drinking my coffee, reading about love in the Bible, listening to Mumford & Son's...just enjoying the morning--my son comes up to me and whines for chocolate milk, and my other son whimpers and cries to be held. I get frustrated because it's all about ME. I wasn't patient, or kind. I was rude, I insisted on my own way. I did that--while reading about what love is. Yeah.
Last week, I hiked to the top of the tallest peak in New Mexico. Wheeler Peak has been on my mind since I remember my dad telling me about it when I was a boy. I remember hiking to the top and feeling an overwhelming feeling of love. I got a little emotional. It might have been the fatigue, and the thin air, but I was almost brought to tears. The natural beauty made me feel like I was loved. I wasn't thinking about God, I was mostly feeling pain in my lungs and legs. But once I got to the top, I forgot about the fact that I am grossly out of shape, and the feeling of pain was replaced with a huge nature-hug. I looked at the distant snow covered peaks, the clouds caressing my face, the alpine grasses and flowers. Nature was awesome, and I felt love. WTF?! I'm not the first to feel this. Many people before me, in different cultures and in different time periods have experienced nature and felt like they needed to worship. I felt it. I felt like God wanted to love me.
Love is powerful. I uploaded some images. These images remind me that I have love.
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