What is Love?

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.

If this was all God ever told us, we could spend the rest of our lives trying to get it right. Unfortunately he also tells us to love our neighbor… and our enemy.

I hear lots of Christians complain about the treatment of believers in the U.S. We complain about everything from diminished rights to moral decline to “persecution.” We complain because we aren’t represented well in the media and new laws don’t represent our values.

I wonder what life would be like if we tried to love each other better.

What would people think of us if we were patient and kind with them? If we didn’t get upset when someone gets promoted and we stay put? What if we didn’t have to have our opinion heard? What if we quit making disparaging remarks about our leaders, didn’t always try to get our way and didn’t protest when we don’t?

What if we didn’t cheer when people get their comeuppance and instead encouraged them on points of agreement? What if we protected everyone’s rights, trusted God with our future, hoped for change in our own hearts and worked with the Holy Spirit to achieve it? 

Christ told us if we loved God and loved others, everything else would take care of itself. The thing is, it’s a whole lot easier to complain.