I had lunch with a lady from my church a few weeks ago.  She was talking to me about how she and her husband have sustained a healthy marriage for 35 years.  She said "I contribute the success of our marriage to our ability to adhere to and submit to loving each other how love is defined in the Bible".  That statement gave me pause. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….” (1 Cor. 13:4-8 NIV) As I got home, I reflected on the responses I have heard from couples regarding how they have stayed married.  The most common response I have heard is friendship. The response I got from my church friend and mentor that I had lunch with....was unique.  As strange as it sounds, I had never heard that from a married person before.  It struck me, and stuck with me.  

 After a couple other confirmations, I was appalled, amazed and convinced that I was supposed to write about love.  So here it goes..... God is the creator of the universe and everything in it.  He is the beginning and the end.  Therefore love was His plan and His idea.  God IS the very essence of love.  Since God is love, created love and love was his plan...his definition of love must be absolute.  The scripture 1 Cor. 13:4-8, which defines love, is crystal clear.  So how do we so often miss the mark?  There is no such thing as perfect when it comes to this fallen world--especially us humans. And if you don't have Jesus....good luck. But the picture of what we should be aspiring to is clear. About 2 months ago, I went to a painting class.  Each artist in the class was given a canvas, various paint colors and paint brushes.  Our instructor stood before us giving step by step instruction.  She also had posted a large painting of the picture us amateurs were to mimic. My picture came out beautiful.  Not exactly like the original--but close.  The only hope I had of getting close to the original was due to the fact that I had a prototype right in front of me--with the added benefit of gentle, step by step instruction on how to accomplish my goal of painting this beautiful photo. 1 Cor. 13:4-8 is our prototype on love. We will never reach perfection but if we follow the clear instruction and constantly keep our eyes on the prototype, our product will exude beauty. Love in and of itself IS a commitment that requires a choice.  You have to choose to be patient. You have to choose to not keep records of wrong doing.  You have to choose to be consistently kind….especially when that persons who already gets on your nerves is doing that onnnnne thing that irks you the most.  You have a decision to make. Agape love is unconditional - offering what may not be deserved but is needed.  Agape is the love Jesus show when He died for us while we were still in the midst of sin.  Riiiiight in the middle of that voluntary sin you committed—right in the middle of that thing I knew was wrong but I did anyway because I felt like it…at that very moment, Jesus felt us worthy of saving…He loved and loves us that much.  And we owe others that same agape love.  It’s not a privilege someone earns…it’s what we owe because we freely received.

Unconditional love is a commitment. Since we humans are so flawed, the only hope we have at giving and receiving such beauty is to focus on the prototype, submit to the teacher, lay down what we THINK and do what has been proven to work.  Love the creator’s way works.  It produces sinners saved by grace. It produces a friend who laid down his life to save all--yet if it were just one, He still would have laid his life down.  It produces sustainable friendships.  It produces honor and respect.  It produces freedom.  It produces 30 + years of marriage.  It produces beauty.  It produces you.  It produces me. When I was in my early to mid 20's.  I went and got a tattoo on my foot.  I made this impulse move out of sheer and intense emotion.  It's a flower that says "Love Cor. 13".

There are several things wrong with this:

1. I did it out of pure emotion.

2. I wanted it to read “13:4-8” but I hadn't taken the time to do the appropriate research - to know that what I wanted came from verses 4-8....it was an impulse move so I went with what I knew--chapter 13.

3.  "Cor." is not the proper abbreviation for Corinthians.  It's "Corin." But once more, I didn't do my research.  I was young and stupid.

4. The tattoo artist neglected to etch "1" before "Cor." to identify the book of 1 Corinthians.  Although I have had intentions - I have not yet gone back to have it added because it hurt like heck!!!

As I was preparing to write, I stared at my tattoo.  It represents my journey of love.  There are moments of immaturity, lack of knowledge, pure dismissal of truth, reckless emotions, avoiding the issue at hand and lots of pain...in all of its error there's still beauty. 

 Love is a journey—one that’s transformational.  It transforms the one who receives, and the giver.  The same lady who inspired this blog…told me today “love is our kryptonite”. 

 Who’s life has been and is currently being transformed because of your agape love—your kryptonite?

I’m feeling love for some reason…so stick with me!

 Tootles.  Stay Tuned.