09/17/2023
Francis Taylor says:
If you ever wonder what love is, this will answer the question. Love is patient. This can be a difficult one for me as I have mentioned in the past, but there are so many times when love calls us to be patient. New babies take a lot of work and when it's the first one, we need to be patient with ourselves as well as with this little bundle of squirming, crying, being who can't tell us what they want or need. We need to be patient all through the years of raising a child because we will be challenged at every stage. Love is kind. We shouldn't say unkind things to a spouse or child or friend no matter how much they have upset us. There's a saying and a song that says, "You only hurt the one you love." This is so true! Love doesn't envy; isn't jealous. If a friend has more than we do, we are happy for the friend we love, not upset because of what we don't have. As we age, and our spouses and friends age, we learn that we must bear all things. Love doesn't turn in a husband or wife for a younger model when the grey hair shows up or the waistline increases, or the bald patches begin to spread, or the memory fails. And then there's illness and sometimes incapacitation. Love endures all these things. Love grows stronger as the years go by. Love is honest and trustworthy. You would never lie to the one you love. Love of God includes all of these things, as well as believing in the love of the other, and trusting in him or her. We believe that God loves us as we love God and we trust in his promises. The world lets us believe that love is based on attraction and when the attraction ceases, we fall out of love. The reality is that lust and attraction is not love. If you think that you are in love, the test is to read the above and see if you pass.
