LOVE - Living Optimistically Viewing Eternally

So, tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  I'm a big believer in loving people.  I just don't believe in limiting it to one day!  Also, I have difficulty with the commercialization of love.  Being the rebel that I am - I just go out and love people every day to spite it!

So, where I think most people get into difficulty about love is when they mistake it for a feeling.  Love is not a feeling.  Our culture makes it very difficult by using the word love for a number of things (I do this too!).  We use it to describe affection, caring, romantic attachment, friendship, lust and liking.  It's really none of those things. Love is an action.  Love is a decision about our attitude - a determined lifestyle really - that we choose to believe the best about and act in accord with doing the best good for someone. Feelings may or may not attend and the person(s) we love may or may not act in ways that make them deserving of love in the world's eyes.  But true love is not based on receiving in order that it give.

The best demonstrater of love is God.  God loves because that is His nature.  He is love. He has done all that we could not (through Christ's death and resurrection) so that we can forever enjoy Him.  He loves unconditionally and His love transforms. The good news - God loves us that much.  If we are not falling down and crying with joy and gratefulness day and night at the goodness of that - then it can only be because we do not yet fully understand it in our hearts.

Lord - open our hearts to know with more fullness Your great love so that we may enjoy you more and be all that you've made us to be.  Your love is better than life.