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Becoming LOVE


I found this once on Facebook and I thought it would be nice to share with you. Learning to love is a hard thing. When I first met my now husband Nathan, I began praying for God to help me understand what it was to BE LOVE. I started with 1 Corinthians 13 since it's known to many as the "Love Chapter." I began going through the description of love one by one, starting with verse 4 which says, "Love is patient..." What better way to get on track to becoming love than to learn patience.
I had NO IDEA 
what I was getting myself into.

Patience is STILL being worked in me! It's been 5 and a half long years since I prayed that prayer and I feel that I am just barely beginning to grasp the exercise and practice of patience. I had to be patient during our courtship and patient waiting for him to propose and patient waiting for the wedding day to come. Now it's patience in a whole NEW way. Patiently learning how to mesh the differences of two very different people. Patiently working toward putting our home together. Patiently waiting to start our family. And when I do get pregnant, I will be patiently waiting for the baby to be born. Waiting is such a HUGE part of life and having patience can be the difference between being a successful loving Christian and simply getting by. 

"...Love is kind..." I am now beginning the next chapter in my Becoming Love mission. Kindness isn't always an easy thing when we live in a world were common sense is no longer common. People around you are definitely NOT striving to be kind and being kind to those who simply don't care how you feel is (to put it kindly) tough. And just as the patience challenge was hard, I know this will be trying and difficult. But just as the patience challenge was, this too will be one of fulfillment and joy when I successfully put kindness into exercise and practice! 

Even just looking at these first two steps of becoming love, we can see how these are not just for self benefit. They enrich lives around us. Everyone we interact with will be witness to what Christ can do in us when we strive to be more like Him! 

God is love and if God is in me, then I should be love. Therefore, if I read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, I should be able to replace the word "love" (and the "it"s referring to love) for the word "I" and it still hold true. This is my goal. To be able to call yourself a Christian is saying that you strive to be CHRIST-like. Going to church can't make you a Christian and saying you're a Christian doesn't make you a Christian. You have to constantly strive to be like Christ! Everything you are has to show you are at the very least trying.

So, are YOU love?
Are YOU trying?
Can YOU call yourself a Christian?

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