Love is...(continued)

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Five verses of scripture…just five…describe in vivid detail not only what love (the God kind) is but what it is not.  This makes me happy because five happens to be my favorite number.  First of all, five is the number of years my husband and I were married when we had our son (a child we thought we may never have).  Five is also the number of years old our son was when our daughter was born (who came as a total surprise).  One of my favorite scripture verses is Romans 5:5 “And our hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (NIV)  Most importantly for me, the number five represents grace.  And let me tell you, I don’t even want to know where I’d be if not for God’s grace in my life.  But…I digress.  This blog is not about my favorite number (even though it’s awesome)…it’s about love…what it is and what it isn’t.

Last time, I wrote about love being patient and was pretty vulnerable about how patience is not naturally a strong suit of mine.  Honestly, I thought, “Whew! That’s over with!  Now, the rest should be smooth sailing”.  Umm…yeah…not so much…I was soon to encounter another that would sting a little (insert grimace here).  We’ll get to that one on another blog though.  First, we have to see what comes next in line.  I do have to say, I was struck by the fact there are more things listed about what love isn’t than what it is.  Well, one more but still…it’s more.  Sometimes, it’s good to not only know what something is but what something is not to truly understand all that encompasses it. 

So, of course love is kind.  That one is pretty easy.  Kindness is not difficult for most of us most of the time.  Then begins the list of things love is not or does not do.  Firstly, it does not envy.  According to dictionary.com (I love this app!); envy is “a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.”  Most of us have probably felt envy toward someone at some point in our lives, but love…love does not envy.  Perhaps the most destructive component of envy is covetousness.  It’s hard to be loving towards someone if we want what they have and are upset they have it and we don’t.  There’s a thin line between wanting to be successful ourselves and wishing we had someone else’s success.  A lot of times, when we compare ourselves to others (remember it’s a joy thief!), we run the risk of becoming jealous or envious of them and we know love does not envy. 

Okay.  Now what? What do we do if we find ourselves feeling unhappy about someone else’s success? Their success shouldn’t make us feel that way.  If it does, we’re probably jealous or envious and we know that is not who God called and made us to be.  We have to decide (and it is a decision) to be grateful for what we have and who we are and work on changing the things that may be keeping us from being successful.  What’s holding us back? What do we need to embrace, start, or pursue that we haven’t yet?  What do we need to put aside, stop, or break away from that is detrimental to meeting our goals or dreams?  Looking toward Jesus who is the One who holds our future and focusing on Him is the key!  That’s the only way we can truly be content and enjoy success in our own lives. 

Whew!  So much to meditate on in only five verses of Scripture! God is good and His heart towards us is good.  His love is alive in us if we allow it to be. 

Until next time…be blessed and remember…love is patient and kind and it does not envy.