love

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud.
It is not rude,
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.
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
I Corinthians 13

In our Bonus Blessing this morning(yes, we had yet another one!! This is the last, I hope!) my squad and I read these words, meditated on them and spoke them into our own lives both is what we saw in each other and what we thought needed improvement in ourselves. Funny enough, some of what we saw as 'needing improvement' was much of the same that others saw as good in us...does that make sense?!

For me, I was reminded that I do not love enough. Not my family, not my friends, not my neighbors, not God. My heart loves but does not show love nearly enough. I was encouraged by what others saw in me(after a somewhat discouraging week), and am more aware of the areas of my own 'love life' that need improvement.
How about you? Are you loving enough? That's my challenge for you all this week - look into how you are loving, or not loving and how we are told that love really is...how do you stand up? Then, meditate on what you can do this week to improve that in yourself...being patient with your kids or friends or parents, forgiving someone when they wrong you instead of bringing it up again, random acts of kindness to a neighbor or extra special someone in your life.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love

Seasons of love. Seasons of love

Its all about love, my friends.

Blessings.