LOVE
I have wondered about this word all of my life. What is real love. I have been in several relationships but at 50 years old I still could not answer the question, “What is Love?”
Finally a few years later I think I am beginning to understand what real Love is and just how much God does Love us.
On a radio station I heard the statement “Love is a Choice”. This is a good start to what the Lord has been showing me because God did choose us. Love is not just an emotion or feeling. Both of these things come and go, but God’s Love for us does not change.
God knows what you did last night. He knows what you did last year. He knows what you are doing and thinking right now. In spite of all of these things He still chose you and me.
God’s choice is not dependant on what we do. He didn’t choose us because we measured up or were good enough. He didn’t choose us for what we could do for Him. He didn’t choose us because He knew that some day we would repay Him. He chose us because He chose to Love us.
This Love doesn’t stop if we make a mistake. This Love doesn’t stop even when we turn our back on Him. This is the key to real Love. This is what has eluded my understanding all these years. His Love, His Choice to Love us is not dependant on any act or action of mine and nothing I can do will stop His Love.
Yes, I can cause pain and disappointment by my acts and actions but it does not change His Choice, His Love. Yes, He may cause circumstances to bring discipline or correction into my life so that I can better follow Him and grow in the Life that He has freely given to me, but my not responding to His discipline or correction will not stop His Love or His choosing of me.
He knew all of this and all the ways I would hurt Him when He chose me but He still Chose to Love me. This Choice is the real expression of His Love to us.
How can I offer less to those whom I have chosen to love. No, I did not know all the disappointments and hurts that this would cause. But none of those hurts or disappointments are as great as what we have caused to our Lord and He has forgiven me for every single one.
I was asked to explain why I loved someone. To tell them what things about them that I loved. I failed miserably at this because the way the question was framed forced me to look for tangible things to praise, things about physical appearance or things the person did that made me love.
All of the things that came to mind sounded cheep and superficial. In the end I had no decent answer to give. But now, having had time to ponder the issue and being filled with an even deeper love for that person, I can see the answer to the question more fully.
Love is not a measure of physical attributes ( or lust) God loves us no matter what we look like. Love is not a measure of what that person does for me (or appreciation) God loves us no matter what we do. The fact is that God loves us by choice. He chose to love us when we were unlovable and He continues to love us no matter what we do.
I love this person because I choose to love. When I realized that this love fell short of what it should be I chose to pray daily for two years that God would teach me to love the way He loves us. God honored that prayer more that I could have imagined.
Now the Love that I have for this person is deeper and more meaningful that anything I could ever fully express. Appearances have not place in this love. What the person says and does can hurt me very deeply and effect how I an able to associate with the person and how much I can trust the person but it does not change the fact that I love this person or what I would do to help this person even if I got nothing in return.
When you stop to realize that Gods love for us is far deeper and more lasting that our simple understanding it becomes a very precious gift and something worth living for, standing up for and fighting for.
