Love, Lover, Loving, Loved
I changed my blogskin. Don't ask me why, I must be bored out of my brain to even bother....Oh well, it's been an interesting day, I suppose, what with my new boss & all. I am now his PA. Do you have any idea how stressful this is going to be? I can feel it already.... He doesn't expect too much from me, just the sun, moon, various planets, and other assorted stars. Oh, not much. But he's a cool guy, and I have decided that I like him, and will work for him as long as I am able. Andrew & Belinda have started their sabbatical, but they're both back in the office today, sorting out the debris of 18 years in the same office. How long they're going to take is anyone's guess.... Just look at the piles of stuff on the floor, tables, shelves, and any other flat area almost makes me feel physically ill. I hate paperwork. Surprisingly, that's the main focus of my job! God has such a sense of humor, I tell you... I have to learn organisation all over again.... *sob*
2 Saturdays ago, we were talking about Love in cell. Interesting topic.
*Disclaimer: All statements following are the opinion of the writer only, and are not intended to insult, degrade, make fun of, or humilate the reader. If taken so, the writer is not liable for the resulting emotional turmoil.*
Love is something that church kids too easily take for granted, I think. Their parents love them, their friends love them, they know (intellectually, at least) that God loves them, even their pets love them, and this love for them in displayed in any, or all of the areas in the child's life. He/She lacks for nothing, not food, water, clothing, money, shelter, warmth, concern, companionship, comfort (material and otherwise), or luxuries. Only a child that has grown up in a home where both parents are willing to sacrifice and/or sublimate their own wants and desires to provide for any and all of the child's needs can say that s/he has too much love, and feels tired of it.But then the child that knows only this type of love, without the tempering influence of knowing his/her parent's sacrifices, will grow up with a severely limited understanding of the true workings of love in its entirety.
We studied 1 Corinthians 13, that famous chapter in the Bible on love:
"1Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I came a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see though a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 13, King James Version
So for those of you who don't know the chapter, there it is for you. It's a fair description of Love, don't you think. Most people will think it's high-faulting, idealistic, unattainable. It's just the language, I tell you. But seriously, I happen to agree with you. If that is truly what Love is all about, then I tell you I don't have a chance.
But then again, I'm human, and a filthy sinner, God knows how true that is for me. The Love that's described up there in 1 Corinthians 13 isn't the human love that we have for each other, not even the purest love of a husband for his wife (and vice versa) or parents for their beloved child. Our love doesn't even come close coz we always have conditions, ulterior motives, for the love that we give to others. That Love described up there is the kind of Love that God has for us. Thank God he Loves me, or I wouldn't be here today to talk to y'all about the subject.
Readin' that pretty much makes it clear that Love makes the person. Not altruism, not faith, not any outward sign of supposed holiness. I mean, look, you can give yourself to be burned alive, but if you really Love anyone, forget it. You wasted your martyrism.
Long-suffering = patient. More or less, though I like the implications of long-suffering better. It implies that we're willing to put up with, tolerate, overlook, the shortcomings of the person that we love. My boyfriend isn't perfect, and I'm the first person to tell you that. He can be annoying, anal, childish, possessive, clingy, and selfish. God knows, I can be difficult, stubborn, cranky, conniving, unreasonable, selfish, whiny, and all-round stone bitch when the mood strikes me. But because he loves me, and I love him, we put up with each other, acknowledging each other's shortcomings and failures, accepting them, and learning to live with them.
God knows we suck. He made us in the first place, with full knowledge of the possibility that we would turn on Him and blame Him for the world's faults, which WE created with our own stubbornness and stupidity, by the way, and decide that we could do a better job. He gave us free will at his own expense, coz he Loved us. If He loved us, He would have made us obedient drones "for our own good' coz 'He knows best'. (Which He does, by the way, but just chooses not to interfere.)
Kind. Hmmm... Do you think I'm kind? *flutters (non-existent) eyelashes* Yeah right. Too often I'm too much less than kind. I can simply be mean coz I'm in that kind of mood, and that's the way I am. I can even be mean to people I'm supposed to love. Like my cell members. But I love them anyway!! I hope they know that... Then you think that, if I'm supposed to love them, how can I be so mean?! Well, because cell leader or not, I'm still human. Go figure. We ain't perfect. If I was perfect, I'd be dead and in heaven, coz that's the only way I'm gonna get to being perfect.
Envieth not... That's a hard one, when every time I go out to the malls I see, and I go 'I want!' but I guess here He's talking about not wanting something that someone else has. Like not being unhappy that your best friend got half a mark more than you on your math paper. Coz like if you really Loved him/her you'd be genuinely happy that s/he did well, even if you didn’t.
The next two are really similar, like, Pride. Love isn’t proud, and never will be. People who Love don’t boast about how loving they are, and what their Love has seemingly produced. People who Love just do their best by the person that they Love, and then sit back and let him/her make the decisions. They don’t try to take over they person’s life, and do the whole “I-know-better-so-just-let-me-decide” thing. They just watch, and do their best by their Loved one.
I really could go on forever about it, like take them all one by one and talk each one. But I think not. Go think for yourself. What does love really mean? It’s not flowers and fancy, it’s not power and passion, it’s not even pain and sacrifice. What is it really all about? It’s something that everyone seems to want but no one really seems to be able to have. It’s the thing that our entire popular culture revolve around, it’s in our music, our television shows, the movies, novels, even our dressing; it’s all about love, falling in love, out of love, getting love. So where does it all end?
I think it all ends in God. God’s the only one that can Love you the way that you are, without judging you, or placing conditions on that Love. He more or less says, ‘It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or how evil you are, how mean you can be, whether you’ve stolen, killed, or even denied My existence, I Love you in spite of everything you’ve done, even in spite of you. There is nothing in this Universe that could make me stop Loving you.’
2 Saturdays ago, we were talking about Love in cell. Interesting topic.
*Disclaimer: All statements following are the opinion of the writer only, and are not intended to insult, degrade, make fun of, or humilate the reader. If taken so, the writer is not liable for the resulting emotional turmoil.*
Love is something that church kids too easily take for granted, I think. Their parents love them, their friends love them, they know (intellectually, at least) that God loves them, even their pets love them, and this love for them in displayed in any, or all of the areas in the child's life. He/She lacks for nothing, not food, water, clothing, money, shelter, warmth, concern, companionship, comfort (material and otherwise), or luxuries. Only a child that has grown up in a home where both parents are willing to sacrifice and/or sublimate their own wants and desires to provide for any and all of the child's needs can say that s/he has too much love, and feels tired of it.But then the child that knows only this type of love, without the tempering influence of knowing his/her parent's sacrifices, will grow up with a severely limited understanding of the true workings of love in its entirety.
We studied 1 Corinthians 13, that famous chapter in the Bible on love:
"1Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I came a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see though a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 13, King James Version
So for those of you who don't know the chapter, there it is for you. It's a fair description of Love, don't you think. Most people will think it's high-faulting, idealistic, unattainable. It's just the language, I tell you. But seriously, I happen to agree with you. If that is truly what Love is all about, then I tell you I don't have a chance.
But then again, I'm human, and a filthy sinner, God knows how true that is for me. The Love that's described up there in 1 Corinthians 13 isn't the human love that we have for each other, not even the purest love of a husband for his wife (and vice versa) or parents for their beloved child. Our love doesn't even come close coz we always have conditions, ulterior motives, for the love that we give to others. That Love described up there is the kind of Love that God has for us. Thank God he Loves me, or I wouldn't be here today to talk to y'all about the subject.
Readin' that pretty much makes it clear that Love makes the person. Not altruism, not faith, not any outward sign of supposed holiness. I mean, look, you can give yourself to be burned alive, but if you really Love anyone, forget it. You wasted your martyrism.
Long-suffering = patient. More or less, though I like the implications of long-suffering better. It implies that we're willing to put up with, tolerate, overlook, the shortcomings of the person that we love. My boyfriend isn't perfect, and I'm the first person to tell you that. He can be annoying, anal, childish, possessive, clingy, and selfish. God knows, I can be difficult, stubborn, cranky, conniving, unreasonable, selfish, whiny, and all-round stone bitch when the mood strikes me. But because he loves me, and I love him, we put up with each other, acknowledging each other's shortcomings and failures, accepting them, and learning to live with them.
God knows we suck. He made us in the first place, with full knowledge of the possibility that we would turn on Him and blame Him for the world's faults, which WE created with our own stubbornness and stupidity, by the way, and decide that we could do a better job. He gave us free will at his own expense, coz he Loved us. If He loved us, He would have made us obedient drones "for our own good' coz 'He knows best'. (Which He does, by the way, but just chooses not to interfere.)
Kind. Hmmm... Do you think I'm kind? *flutters (non-existent) eyelashes* Yeah right. Too often I'm too much less than kind. I can simply be mean coz I'm in that kind of mood, and that's the way I am. I can even be mean to people I'm supposed to love. Like my cell members. But I love them anyway!! I hope they know that... Then you think that, if I'm supposed to love them, how can I be so mean?! Well, because cell leader or not, I'm still human. Go figure. We ain't perfect. If I was perfect, I'd be dead and in heaven, coz that's the only way I'm gonna get to being perfect.
Envieth not... That's a hard one, when every time I go out to the malls I see, and I go 'I want!' but I guess here He's talking about not wanting something that someone else has. Like not being unhappy that your best friend got half a mark more than you on your math paper. Coz like if you really Loved him/her you'd be genuinely happy that s/he did well, even if you didn’t.
The next two are really similar, like, Pride. Love isn’t proud, and never will be. People who Love don’t boast about how loving they are, and what their Love has seemingly produced. People who Love just do their best by the person that they Love, and then sit back and let him/her make the decisions. They don’t try to take over they person’s life, and do the whole “I-know-better-so-just-let-me-decide” thing. They just watch, and do their best by their Loved one.
I really could go on forever about it, like take them all one by one and talk each one. But I think not. Go think for yourself. What does love really mean? It’s not flowers and fancy, it’s not power and passion, it’s not even pain and sacrifice. What is it really all about? It’s something that everyone seems to want but no one really seems to be able to have. It’s the thing that our entire popular culture revolve around, it’s in our music, our television shows, the movies, novels, even our dressing; it’s all about love, falling in love, out of love, getting love. So where does it all end?
I think it all ends in God. God’s the only one that can Love you the way that you are, without judging you, or placing conditions on that Love. He more or less says, ‘It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or how evil you are, how mean you can be, whether you’ve stolen, killed, or even denied My existence, I Love you in spite of everything you’ve done, even in spite of you. There is nothing in this Universe that could make me stop Loving you.’
posted by butterflyblade at 3:07 PM
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