Love

How do I know that God is good?  I know He is good because I have experienced His love for me.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

Christmas should be a reminder that Paul’s description of love is not limited to the relationship between a husband and wife.  It is a description of God’s love that is demonstrated in Jesus from creation to the manger to the cross.  It is also a description of what our love for our neighbor should look like.  It is also a description of what it looks like to love self.

We recently woke up to no hot water.  I did the usual and watched YouTube before attempting to fix the problem. When I got stuck, I had to call my neighbor who is a retired plumber.  From his response I know he looked at my call as an opportunity to serve and ultimately fixed the water heater.  He not only blessed us with hot water, but he also blessed me by greeting me with a Merry Christmas as he was leaving.

It has taken a long time for me to learn to ask for help.  Increasing weaknesses and limitations can be responded to in multiple ways.  Pride and selfishness result in choosing to be irritable and unloving both to myself and those I interact with.  Love does what it can do and accepts the help of others with gratitude.

Remembering God’s love may not make depression go away, but it is a big help in choosing to act on God’s love and goodness regardless of how I feel.

What action would you take today to love yourself if you were certain of God’s love for you?