Love never fails?

I'm on vacation. I took a week off work and the girls and I are visiting a friend we haven't seen in four years.

Yesterday the girls and I went to a Goodwill and as I was wondering around I saw a wall decoration that said,

"Love is patient, Love is kind, Love never fails..."

It triggered me. I immediately had to stop for a bit and move my thoughts to something else. Love... it never fails?

Unfortunately love does fail... Earthly love does. It hurts.

I have realized that the word love is thrown around so easily... Flippantly said. I'm guilty. Easy to say and hope that you can love the person. Sometimes my girls think I say it too easily with them. I'm sure it is often said as a way of "easing the situation."

What is love? Does anyone even know? The Word tells us we are to "love our neighbor as ourself." What does that really mean?

We probably all know that there are "three types of love" (some say there are four). The Greek words used in the Bible are:

Eros - sexual or romantic love

Phileo - fraternal or friendly love

Agape - self-sacrificial love

Interestingly there is a Hebrew word for love: Hesed - this type of love means "lovingkindness." This word can mean so many different things that there is not one Greek or English word that encompasses it all. I believe I need to do a deeper study on this. This is the love God has for us.

So, why do I want to write on this? Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe it is that I want us to all stop and think about how we use the word love. Maybe I want us to stop and realize that love isn't always what it is put on a pedestal to be be. Maybe we need to understand that there are people who don't understand God's love because they have no idea about earthly love. If they don't have love here on earth, how, and why, would they understand a love from Someone they can't see?

It's time we begin to change the way we discuss love, especially the love of God. It's time we begin to pray and believe that people begin to experience love in a real way, and that they can KNOW the LOVE of God because of HIM becoming real to them. It's time we stop speaking love and it is time to show love. It is time we show "lovingkindness" (Hesed) and not just sexual, friendly or self-sacrificial love.

Love and blessings,

Rose

PS If I have ever told you I love you - I do mean it!