loveloveLOVElovelove

What do I really know about love?

Not so much.

Love is a noun
We see this in verses like 2 Peter 4:8 where "love covers a multitude of sin" and Corinthians 13:13 ("Still these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love)")

Love is a verb
Love is a VERB. It is something we DO. In Spanish, the verb "to love" has three translations. (Kind of makes you feel like English is missing out, huh?)


Love is a command
Well, when you say it that way, it seems a little more intense. God commands us to love one another and love others as we love ourselves. That's where it gets hard, because if I truly want to be Christ-like, then I have to follow the commands of God.

And following God's commands isn't just a pick-and-choose kind of game.

So where does that leave me?

It's easy to love my parents and my friends, because they are nice to me and they love me back.

It is an entire matter completely to love these kids when I am living with them 24/7.
How do you love a 16-year old girls who hates listening to authority and thinks she's above getting a hug?
How do you love a kid who is always yelling and fighting for your attention?
How do you love a girl who cries because she doesn't want to study, do chores, etc?
How do you love the two brothers who are so lazy that they'd rather wear dirty clothes than do laundry?

I think the answer is: I can't....
I am completely unable to love these kids because I am human. We love conditionally. It is easy to love those who love us and treat us well. But it is so challenging to love those who are "rough around the edges" or who drive us crazy.

...but God can.
Luckily for me (and the kids), God loves us unconditionally. He doesn't care what we've done in the past, He doesn't mind when we're in a crabby mood, all that matters is that we are His children and He loves us.

And so, when I am truly walking with God and communicating with Him and doing His will...well then, things get pretty great. Because God knows that I can't love these kids, and so He sends me a double portion (some days a triple portion) of His love. And the love overflows from me to the kids.

Give me your eyes for just one second
Over the last few weeks, God has been giving me His eyes to see the kids and it has been incredible! Each day I am able to see past the faults and frustrations that the kids give me. I can see insecure teenage girls, homesick little boys, children who really are trying to do well. And most importantly, I can see a bunch of little kids who just want to be loved. All they want is for me to love them.

I can't love them with the unconditional love that they want. Only God can...and we teach them that each day. But I can love them with as much love as I have.

We love because God first loved us. Amen to that.