Love

“. . . and the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13)

Poets write about it. Songwriters pen lyrics and spark something in our hearts. The apostle Paul tells us it is “. . . the greatest of these. . . .” He also calls love “the most excellent way.” (I Corinthians 12:31)

Jesus tells us to “love the Lord, you God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Mark 12;30) He also commands us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”(Mark 12:30)

“Love” is a term we overwork. We ‘love’ to take walks. Some of us ‘love’ brownies or anything chocolate. Others of us ‘love’ ice cream.

One of the gospel songs of the late 1960’s tells us “. . . and they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” But how do we show God’s love to others? As I was leaving a family restaurant recently, I had to stop and step around another customer who was in conversation with the shift leader on duty. I looked up and saw a man of a different race holding the inner door open for me. I thanked him as I went through. He then reached behind himself to open the outer door while still holding the inner one, as well. Again, I expressed my thanks. There was another woman coming through both doors behind me but I never heard anything from her as she exited the building.

People, especially Christians, should learn to be more gentle in their dealings with each other and those those they meet in their daily walk.