Love. Such a small word with SO many different words to describe it. Affection, commitment, sacrifices, persistence. You have to keep forgiving and showing affection. You have to keep up with people's lives and pay attention. You have to trust them and trust yourself. You have to know that they will be as faithful as you are with them.
Commitment is one of the most important characteristics of love. If you don't fight tooth and nail to show you are committed, someone is going to get hurt. Sacrifice is another important characteristic. It's amazing how much you have to sacrifice for other people even if you don't love them. You can very much dislike them, yet there are still sacrifices to be made. Jesus on the cross was the obvious one. Laying down your life like that is extreme. Only the people who believe in him really understand his sacrifice. But if we want to be recognized for our sacrifices we are hardly sacrificing at all.
If we are persistent with commitment and sacrifice we will usually be fine. Fourteen years to soak up events going on around me isn't enough time to figure out love all the way...but that was my best try.Hmmm...commitment even to people you don't know or like, self-sacrifice, persistence despite obstacles? I think that's a pretty good definition of love for fourteen or forty or four hundred!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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