Love

I looked up the definition of love today. Here is what http://www.m-w.com/ said:

Love - 1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests b: an assurance of love 2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion 3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration b (1): a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment (2)British —used as an informal term of address4 a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God5: a god or personification of love6: an amorous episode : love affair7: the sexual embrace : copulation8: a score of zero (as in tennis)9capitalized Christian Science : god
— at love
: holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis
— in love
: inspired by affection

Okay, so if you didn't read all that, no problem. There's a lot of definitions of love...but what stands out to me is how I define love. How I've defined it in relation to and in opposite of Merriem-Webster's definition of it.

I have "loved" a lot, in many ways. But I don't love all the time...there are times that I feel anger and hurt and indifference. But I can still love in those times...God does. For as much as we test him, hurt him, turn away from him, disobey him, He still finds ways to love us at all times...unconditional.

My job is to love Him and others the same way. Do I do that? I don't really know. I'm too human to make that judgement of myself or others. But what I do know is that I love Him, I love my family and friends, my co-workers, ets and all the kids I know. And one thing that I do know about myself is that I've never been "in love" with any man. That was a revelation to me earlier today. God has helped me to not fall "in love" with the wrong men. The closest man I ever truly loved (in the "in love" sense) was years ago; it wasn't my last boyfriend or any of the guys I've dated since or just before. And though there have been times where I've been frustrated with my singleness, wondering if I'll ever be enough for any man, it's this that I am so greatful of: I haven't loved the wrong man. I am waiting; being patient; praying for; and trusting that God is preparing the right man for me...or the right single path. Even at 33...He could be calling me to singleness like Paul. I don't feel that at all; but I need to keep it an option. I want to want always what God wants; not what my humanity wants.

So today I learned a lot more about love...read Matthew 22:36-40 again...and that it's worth waiting for my One True Love to show me who my one true earthly love is. :-)

In the meantime, I can practice loving God's people genuinely and in abundance. It's always good practice to love.