Love; I put others before myself and do what I can to meet their needs.
John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As we learn and grow from reading God’s Word, we quickly see that love is important to God. God loved the world so much He gave His only Son, and God has called us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Love fuels our relationships with fellow believers, and we are also supposed to love and care for the poor and needy. Some have even called the Bible “God’s love letter to mankind.” Love is important to the people of God.
To add a wrinkle to God’s gift of love, it is difficult to practice. Love would be easy if it did not involve other people! Every person, even us at Heritage Preschools, have quirks that make us hard to love at times. I am slightly OCD and struggle with anxiety, which can make life difficult for my wife and daughter sometimes. But they continue to persevere in loving me. When I think back to my wedding day, and telling my wife how much I loved her, I had no idea how much my love would grow over the years. Looking back, my love has grown to in ways I never knew possible. I have learned how to love my bride in times when love is easy, and in times where it has not been so easy.
If you ever feel frustrated or disappointed with the love you have for others, there is encouragement we can take from God’s Word. In 1 John 4 teaches us that love is being perfected in us. You do not yet know how to love perfectly, but the Spirit of God is working in you to teach you how to love like Christ loves. If you have a desire to want to love deeper, that is God perfecting love in you. If you are concerned by ways you fail at loving others, that conviction comes from God preparing you to be perfect in love. We do not say something is perfect unless it is flawless, which means we must first identify flaws and correct them. Don’t let your failures and shortcoming in love discourage you. Identifying them is part of the process of God perfecting you. Take heart and keep your faith in God strong. He is not finished with you yet. He is making your love perfect, just as His love is perfect.
Challenge: Take some time to reflect on your love for your spouse and children has grown over time. Look back and see how you have learned to love better, and recognize that this is God working in you. Make an effort to tell your spouse and your children about the growing love you have for them. I pray this exercise will be a blessing to your heart and to your family.
