The last couple of weeks, my pastor, who also happens to be my uncle, has been preaching on love that lasts a lifetime. One of the things that has really stuck out to me is that love is not a noun; it's a verb. This is really a hard concept to grasp. When I think of love, I know that I many times view it as this thing, a feeling; something that I either have or don't. It has really been eye opening to think of love as a verb. During a small group session, several of us were discussing what it means for love to be a verb. We did not come up with a good explanation. Over the past week, however, I believe that God has revealed to me what love as a verb is. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, Paul tells us that "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." I think that before this week, I thought that if I loved someone, it would be followed by these actions. God has shown me that doing these things is loving someone. I have worried some about my future marriage. Will I be able to really love my husband? Well, that depends on if I decide to or not. If I decide to, I can be patient with him. I can be kind to him, I can be humble. I can be slow to anger. I can be respectful. With God's help, I can do all of these things. By doing them, I will be loving my husband, regardless of how I feel.
This same principle goes with loving God. In John 14:21 Jesus tells us that, "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Jesus says that by following His commands, we are loving Him. It doesn't matter how many times I say I love God, if I am not following His commands, I am using love as a noun. What a relief. Even if I do not have a fluttery feeling when I think about Jesus, I love Him by following His commands.
The great thing about love being a verb is that if you do the actions, the feeling will follow. In terms of a marriage, if I constantly an looking to love my husband the 1 Corinthians way, it can change the way he loves me and can give me a love that lasts a lifetime. Not just an "i love him" type of love, but a passionate, can't wait to see him every day, just want to be with him, kind of love that everyone wishes for in a marriage.
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