Love

Today I had to read the love passage, 1 Corinthians 13, for Bible Study, which was fitting since tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  It's one of those passages that you've heard a million times, so it's easy to just skim through it without really taking it in, but for some reason today, it just hit me hard.  I kept dwelling on it today and meditating on it.  It's so convicting to read what love is supposed to look like, because none of us love perfectly...  Read through it slowly if you have a minute.

1 Corinthians 13

 ¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.  ⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^{[b] 6} it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
 ⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
 ¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

This is a biblical description of what love is and is not supposed to look like.  In which of these areas do you fall short?  One that was convicting to me was that love is not irritable (sometimes of struggle of mine during a rough day or a moment of stress).   I think that having small children really tests your patience sometimes, too.  Also, verse 7 really stood out to me, especially with beginning foster care soon.  "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  I think we will face hardships while doing foster care.  We will have to try to bear all things and endure all things, even hard things.  Will my love for our foster children endure or will I just want to give them back if they are difficult?  Will I always possess hope for them, even when the situation seems hopeless?  It's scary and humbling to me, because I know I won't love them perfectly.  It's hard to even love my own husband and biological child perfectly. 

The first three verses really get me too.  Even if I am the hardest working wife or the best at disciplining and keeping my kids in control, but don't have love, I am nothing.  One of my biggest fears about having a foster child is if we can handle their behavioral issues.  But, the Bible tells me that even if I am not perfect at this, loving them is more important.  Can you believe verse 2!?  Even if I have faith that can move mountains, but don't have love, I'm nothing.  Wow... Haven't you ever thought that strong faith was like the peak of being an awesome Christian?  While faith is good and worth striving for (though it is a gift from God), without love, I'm worthless. 

Well, when you spend time with your loved ones this Valentine's Day, maybe try to meditate on this passage and love them with true love.  Surely, we can only love like this with help from the Lord.