“My favorite holiday is LOVE DAY,” said my sweet little Laurelle.
“When is that?” I asked.
“Valentine’s Day, mom!”
And my little girl didn’t disappoint, with more than twenty hand-made cards! She was thrilled to receive something that day, but her greatest desire was to BLESS others. Laurelle has learned at an early age the joy of GIVING! Jesus Himself was quoted by Paul in Acts 20:35 as having said, “It is more blessed to GIVE than to receive.”
As adults, we tend to feel more comfortable giving than receiving many a day. Of course God is the ultimate GIVER, but do I let Him LOVE me? Do I RECEIVE His love on a daily basis?
For the past few years I have had my kids memorize a good portion of 1 Corinthians 13 before Valentine’s Day. This chapter is the written, biblical definition of LOVE. I remember as a little girl being challenged by my Sunday school teacher to memorize this particulcar passage as well, with the incentive of a prize for the top three winners. The following week the competition began to see who could recite the most verses without errors. I think I came in second or third place but I got a huge 4-pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups! To me that was well worth the hard work! I was around 10 years old at the time but I have NEVER forgotten that chapter in The Bible to this day, and could rattle it off again at a moment’s notice! What a great habit it is to memorize Scripture and write it “on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 7:3).
Let’s glance at LOVE. The chapter reads,
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain NOTHING.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not rude. 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.”
If you have read this repeatedly you may become numb to the depth of its truth. When I was teaching this to my kids we spent a lot of time on the first half where it talks about speaking different languages, having an amazing faith, and being extremely generous WITHOUT love. If we SPEAK and ACT without love The Bible promises we gain NOTHING. The latter part of the chapter explains why: there cannot be boasting or selfishness when God’s pure love is demonstrated. This is hard to live by! Giving to others out of selfless love, expecting NOTHING in return, is God’s humbling yet desirable definition of LOVE. That’s how He so unabashedley loves us.
There’s a million and one ways God HAS GIVEN, GIVES and will continue to GIVE to us. Are we noticing HIS love? My dear sister-in-law Marcia mentioned that this past year her biggest takeaway was learning to receive God’s love for her. That struck me as such a precious and lovely gift. PRAISE GOD that He LONGS to bestow His love on us as imperfect and unfaithful as we are! Our love for others needs to mirror HIS love for us, but if we have never fully RECEIVED it we won’t be able to IMITATE and OFFER it to the world.
Yesterday I was having one of those stressful mornings: everything looked bleak and blah. I peeked into my daughter’s room and saw a mess of clothes and dolls all over; She’s not naturally tidy but we’re working on it! Needless to say, I started feeling very anxious and overwhelmed. What did the trick was sitting down with my husband and reading through a bunch of Laurelle’s “God books,” as she calls them. They are truths about God that she writes down in simple terms for others to enjoy right from her innocent six-year-old heart (no prompting or help from me). She has made over ten of them now and as I read them tears welled up. Here’s a sample:
“God is good…Believe in God. He made you…God is stronger than anyone in the whole world. So much glory and love. Maybe you think that all the people on earth are not good …but sometimes angels come to earth but they look like a person. My love shines so bright, love of God. So much love of God. He is very happy and glory. Love your parents and your family. Love them so much. Love God so much, He made you. He loves you so much He gave you your parents. Happy to God. Thank you God.”
Her childlike faith made my heart content and refocused on what MATTERS: HIM! HIS LOVE! It’s so simple yet I miss it EVERY day.
My challenge for each of you, dear ones, is to look closely at 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 this week. This will be a great way to prepare for EASTER in just a few short weeks, the ultimate demonstration of the LOVE of Christ.
1. MEMORIZE IT if you never have; you’d be surprised how do-able and fun it is once you start! We love looking up YouTube song versions of verses or passages in Scripture. There’s a lot of catchy tunes that make memorizing a cinch!
2. RECEIVE His love. Spend time listening to a Christian worship song or two and let God’s love fill you up. HE embodies and DEFINES love itself: LOVE IS WHO HE IS! One thing God CANNOT do besides sin: He’ll never stop loving YOU.
3. SHARE His love. This is where our faith gains FEET. 1 John 4:7: “Dear friends, let us LOVE one another for LOVE comes from GOD. Anyone who LOVES has been born of God and KNOWS GOD.” If we truly have God’s love in us it is no respecter of persons and cannot be contained: it MUST spill out to the world because GOD’s love ACTS. Do something this week that you have never done before to show someone else God’s love and let me know your ideas in the comments below!
A few days ago my husband and I and our kids were at a restaurant eating. During our meal an older couple came up to us as they were heading out. They both wanted to let us know they were so impressed by us as parents, and our children. The lady told me, “On a day in motherhood when you don’t feel so good, please remember me and think, ‘She told me I am doing a great job.'”
“It’s God in us,” I was quick to respond. Her words and intentionality touched my heart! Isn’t it amazing HOW MUCH a “small” gesture of LOVE can lift us up? She knew there was nothing she would receive from me in return besides a “thank you,” but nonetheless she GAVE.
May I be quick to encourage and LOVE just like this every day, whenever the opportunity arises (and there will be PLENTY if we are available to be USED)! TREES of HOPE, dear ones, standing tall for OUR Loving King!
Please share any experiences you have had of being LOVED in the comments below. God’s love is MORE than enough; I have seen it come through in the darkest hours of mental illness and emotional battles like no other remedy. BELIEVE and TRUST in the POWER of HIS great love! Listen and receive God’s love for you via the song below. Oh how He loves us!
MUCH LOVE to you all, dear ones!
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Brittany, Thank you for our heartfelt words that ring so true: the children see much more through their eyes than we can now as adults. May God help us to love Him as they do! Love to you always, dear sister!
Love the innocence of a child’s heart. Laurelle should keep those books to look back on someday when she may need a reminder of the simplicity of God’s love for us. I am so impressed at the questions my kids ask me about God…and sometimes I have no simple answer for them because I am not used to seeing the world through their eyes and curiosity. Love is truly intentional. It is hard to love like God wants us to but it is well worth the effort.:)
Dear Joelle, I love the lesson you have learned about God’s timing. Thank you for sharing that because it is so true: His timing is always perfect! Sometimes it’s at the eleventh hour, but He comes through.
I am so glad you are able to see GOD in the blessings, because you are right when you say HE is the reason and the source of it all!
May God continue to reveal Himself to you in this season of motherhood. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment here. Your last words ring loud and clear: When life gets really hard HE WILL be with us ALWAYS!
Dear Krystal,
If I have learned one thing in the last few years, God has perfect timing for everything. As a child, I was not raised catholic, but as I grew older, I stop and ponder everything that I have been blessed with, and I truly believe HE is the reason for all my blessings. Our beautiful children keep us busy, focused, anxious, stressed, blessed, joyous, and so much more!!! I find that some of the most difficult parts of life are the ones that also bring us the most joy. Life is HARD, but HE will get us through it. Keep working. Keep struggling. Keep learning. Keep loving.
Dear Marcia, thank you for your lovely comments and for sharing a story of God’s love that touched YOU. It’s so humbling to be USED by God and be able to EXTEND His LOVE to others. What a privilege to have a God whose love has no limits, no barriers, which is exactly the opposite of how the world defines it. He’s the God of second chances, The One who always FORGIVES and provides mercy and love to the most needy. Thank you again and God bless you, dear sister!
Dear Krystal thank you for your beautiful and authentic message of love! One act that touched my heart was a gift I received from my beautiful sister-in-law. She gave me a devotional just in the time I needed the most! Her gift was a source of love and care! I am great full for her compassion and love!
Your story about Laurelle! It is the perfect example of love and pure kindness. Thank you for sharing your sister’s video, they send a warm message of love!! Can’t wait for your next post.