Who am I to poo-poo a day set aside to
show others how much we love them.
Besides in these long days after Christmas retailers can use the boost in
sales of chocolate candy, chocolate covered strawberries, expensive cards, and
diamond jewelry --- not to mention the dozens upon dozens of roses that are
delivered with great delight. No I
say celebrate all these things – just don’t forget that they are not the real
signs of love.
Love is found not in what we give but in
how we behave. Perhaps the most
beautiful description of that is found in I Corinthians 13.
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or
boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not
irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the
truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.”
The problem is no one can live up to this standard no
matter how much they may wish too.
Dirty socks on the floor can make us resentful. And we can get irritable when things
don’t get done they way they should.
This scripture is our ideal of human love, not its
reality. In reality, love is
hard. It requires listening and
talking problems out. It requires
“I’m sorry.” And “I forgive you.”
It is not a 50-50 proposition but requires each partner to give at least
75% to the relationship.
But when it works, there is nothing more like heaven
than a good marriage. In the meantime: chocolates, roses, and diamonds can’t
hurt!
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