Love is a mystery. How it works, how it feels and how long it can last. True love takes a person by storm and holds their heart captive to its warm and comforting embrace. The very best thing in life is to be loved unconditionally. True love fuels our dreams and makes us feel whole and worthwhile. Love breathes life into broken hearts, mends deep wounds and sets captives free.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 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 do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
God’s love is the purest form of love and the reason humans are able to share genuine love is because God has displayed His love to us. Without God in this world, there would be no real love.
This verse now makes perfect sense to me: John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
To remain means to stay put, persist, linger and continue. I understand this more now since my Husband passed two years ago last week. My love for Mark lingers on and I feel that the love he showed me over 34 years did not stop when he died. This love continues on in me and in the people that knew him. I can emphatically say I will always remain in Mark’s love.
God is asking us to stay, linger, persist and continue in love with Him and in His love for us because He will always love us. The best thing we can do is to continue on in this precious relationship that fuels our spirit, comforts us and gives us strength. We do not have to see Him no more that I have to see Mark to know I am loved.
Remaining in love is a choice. If we are bitter about how someone died or bitter about what we expected God to do that didn’t happen, then we chose bitterness over love. If we continue in this, we may not remain in this most marvelous blessing of our lives-pure love.
What I have learned as a student of life, is that things don’t always go according to my plans and that I may never understand God’s ways or the destructive evil in this world. What I do know is that Mark is in a better place and he is not suffering anymore. Because of Jesus, I will get the wonderful opportunity to see Mark again someday. I also know that I will not fall victim to anything that will hinder my ability to remain in love and live in gratitude.
Prayer,
Lord, I thank you. You brought life and love into this world and you go to prepare a wonderful place for us. Help us through our grief and disappointments, our frustration and our anger. Your word says in Psalm 30:5b weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. May we walk in gratitude in the morning of our life and joyfully remain in your love and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
God Bless,
Sally
