Storythai

Love. Indeed, seemlingly the easiest of all qualities to model in so very many moments. Love is there...in all things. Except when love is hard. And it can be hard can't it?

Let's get real about love. It can be hard to love people. Love means handing over the remote control when we'd rather keep it, getting up just when we're all settled in a comfy spot, speaking in a balanced tone of voice when we'd rather scream, opening our hearts to listen to anoher when we'd rather allow our own feelings to tumble out.

Besides that, there are also moments when people are picky and critical and snippy, and we wonder why we bother trying...People are hard to love.

Love is also commitment...in everything. Love stays when it wants to go. It accepts when it wants to reject. It does what it doesn't want to do when it doesn''t want to do it. It gets above the "can't stand this person" moments plus the squinting, forces itself to look at that someone the way God looks at them, seeing them flawed, yes, but filled with potential. Love is a commitment to keep choosing to love...even when you don't feel like it.

We choose. We commit to. We practice this kind of love in "everything" and get better at it bit by bit. I didn't say perfect. We won't ever be perfect at loving. But we can be better. More honest in love. More consistent. More expressive. Quicker. When we give a back rub, a note of encouragement, or plant a smooch on the cheek of our loved ones, we are practicing love. What we practice will improve.

In many life moments, love comes easily. But when love is hard, we're helped by recalling what love is: a commited choice to be there...in everything. Love is the fruit that gets us past the "being nice" part of politeness to the offering of love when it's hard to love.

Mistakes causes stains. And stains take work to remove. Patience is hanging in tere with hard-to-love people...sometimes to the point of forgiveness but always to the point of love. Admittedly, our natural reponse to people's offenses is hurt and anger and sometimes self-defense. Patience doesn't mean slapping on a "nice face" and ignoring the reality of how we feel. When there's a huge stain on the carpet, you can cover it with a throw rug, but you know....you know that it's still there.

Experiencing the hurt and anger and disappointment can lead to forgiveness. We might be pushed to love someone who had wounded us...still...patience is leading us to forgive a person for a bumbling blooper...as known as mistakes. As we experience unwelcome wounds from people and even our loved ones, we can respond to such hurt with patience...forgiveness....and love.

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LOVE.....