thoughts about love

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31

I have never fallen out of love. I have allowed love to cool, diminish. I have ignored it until it went away. But I never had a day when I just woke up and said "I don't love him anymore".

While going through "The Purpose Driven Life" I see how important it is to do both of the things Jesus tells us -- Love God, love people. Annoying, tempermental, untrustworthy, difficult, moody people. People like me. People like you. People like the guy in my church that always looks like he just woke up, talks a mile a minute and either yells at his girls or ignores them. I see the failures I've had, when I've promised to love and neglected it until that love was a rotting albatross I just had to get away from. I see there are a lot of people I've never loved at all.

I want to live a purpose driven life but more than that -- I want to live a loving life. I wouldn't mind just closing the book here and taking a few years to work on this commandment from Jesus. Love -- love God first, then my family, then my brothers and sisters in Christ (even the annoying ones) -- then the world. Because by love, we prove who we really are and who loves us.

Woah. Some Valentine I got -- the never-ending, never-fail, always-enough, incredibly perfect love of my God. How awesome!

Belated Happy Valentine's to everyone reading. I love you!