If you look on my sidebar, you'll see a passage from Matthew under the title, Words to Live By. That passage is my life motto, or my personal life purpose statement. If I'm not living by those words, then I'm not living the life God wants for me.
Pam, of Pinnacles, Pitfalls, and Pottychairs, wrote a post yesterday entitled, Spreading the Love. I felt challenged to write about my favorite word - my favorite emotion - my favorite force.
I strongly believe that you cannot just say you love someone. Love is more than a word, even more than a feeling. It is an action. It is shown in a gesture, a deed. If you tell someone you love them, but don't show it in some way, the words are empty. The other person has to "feel" your love.
I liken love to some form of action, as in a force. Force is defined as energy. You can view this word as a noun and an adjective. Love is something you feel, as in the force of the wind in your face, and it takes energy to love; it's something you actively engage in.
For me, I love people by engaging myself with them. I try to practice the ministry of presence, meaning that when I'm with someone, I forget about myself and try to be there for them, in whatever form they need. I try to put myself in their shoes, try to understand who they are and what's going on in their lives.
I then show I care by really caring about who they are and what's going on in their lives.
Hmmm... where did that sentence come from? I typed it as a result of my process of thinking. But when I reread it, it sounded, I don't know - phoney, or contrived. Where does that care come from? I can't create it out of thin air. I can't... but, God can.
How can I put this? Somehow, God puts the love in my heart to pass on to others. That seems so simple. I guess it really is. I love God. He loves me. He shows me how to pass on His love to others. He makes it possible for me to love others. His love to His children here on earth is manifested through, well... me... and you.
It's a pretty simple plan He devised. It should have been so simple. Too bad we've made it so complicated. Just think how different this world would be if everyone felt loved. It would be a different world, indeed.
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link of the day:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20657188/site/newsweek/
11 comments:
Good words!! If you notice on my header I have this quote, "If you keep things simple they'll stay pure."
I believe there is so much truth in that. We always have to complicate things. Jesus message was simple, yet profound.
Susan
Indeed!
Well put. So simple but we have complicated it terribly haven't we?
I LOVE the photo!
Thanks for helping to spread the love. I hope more people join in. There is so much we can be doing to live love, rather than to just preach it!
Nice post! Great words to ponder.
good blog. i love our church. the people are super friendly. i am practicing active love there, rally being there when i talk to them, follow up with things that are going on in their lives and sending cards and making phone calls.
and, of course, the love is being returned!
You are so right - too often even as we are listening to someone else, we are consumed by our own thoughts. We are thinking about what we need to do or how we should respond intead of just being there with them. It is simple and yet so hard. It is indeed, supernatural, and we have to let God work in us so that we might love others as he does.
What great thoughts! Makes me want to break out into song... "What the world needs now... is love - sweet love... it's the only thing that there's just ... too little of..." :)
You don't think you could love without God?
Great thoughts and words!! Thank you for sharing them!!
Great post! I believe you really DO care and that is what I LOVE about you!!!
God Bless,
Amber
This is an awesome post - a different world indeed!! Great! Great! Great!
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