Originally Posted: Love

***When I came back to Chicago nearly 3 years ago for my surgery, I started a blog as one place all family and friends could go to read updates on my health. I then realized it was also a way of promoting awareness. Shortly after that, I started a second blog, for the purpose of sharing my faith. As time went on, I became convicted about something.

It was wrong of me to separate the two, as my faith, Jesus, is the absolute reason for my strength in getting through this. I could not exclude Him from my health blog even if others suggested to do so. Thus, I started talking more about my faith on my main blog. Now, many times, it's more about Him than me, which is where I came up with the current title 'About Me, Not About Me'. This story may be about me, but really it's not about me, it's about Him. That old blog still sits out there no longer being used. So I decided over time I will begin to move those posts from there to here to have everything in one place.

In just beginning to read some of my first posts, I've realized the amount of work God has truly done in me. A lot of times we hate the journey and want to get to our next destination, but it is in that very journey that God molds you into who He created you to be. Enjoy each mile of your own journey and know that God is working through you if you let Him.***

Originally Posted: June 21, 2013
Love

When you think of the word love what comes to mind? Probably your significant other, maybe other family, maybe friends... then your mind drifts to flowers, chocolate, teddy bears and cuddling? What that describes is not the truest of true love. There are multiple types of love but I'm going to talk about one, the highest, most important one.

True love comes from God for "God is love." This type of love is Agape love. It is a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional type of love. It is the highest form of love you can have. I believe in order to have this love, God needs to be a part of your life, for again, God is love. Without God, how can you have a sacrificial love? God shows this love to us constantly, because no matter what, He will love us, He will forgive us, He will carry us through.  And that, is how we are supposed to act towards another. Turn to God and strive to live as Jesus lived.

I believe this to be a verb rather than a noun. You are giving the gift of oneself to another no matter what, not dependent on how the other treats you, not dependent on your feelings, not dependent on any outside circumstance, argument, anything. True, unconditional love never fails. Never. You are making the choice to love.

So what if God is not the center of your life, or even a part of your life? Can you have this type of love? I have to believe not. If you say you are "in love" you are most likely referring to the romantic, physical type of love. If you say you love a person, you are probably referring to a friendship or brotherly type of love. But without God there will not be Agape love, and without God, something will always be missing... and you might not even know it until it happens. And if you think about it, if you lack the unconditional part of love what is the foundation? Feelings are fleeting and that foundation perhaps without agape love may crumble. You can tell someone "always and forever" but that forever is the part is one only God can bring. What you really should say then is "until I decide otherwise."

What I'm getting at is if you want true love, accept God, accept Jesus, into your life. It's never too late. The door  is open and He wants to invite you in. He wants to transform your life. He wants to make it better. He wants to forgive you. He wants to love you and send forth His love through you to others. What if He treated you the way you treat Him... and thus forgot about you, ignored you, hurt you, rejected you, yelled at you, pretended you didn't exist? Ouch. That would be one rough life. Life is rough enough as it is. But instead He loves you unconditionally. Love Him unconditionally, and in return you can strive to love others unconditionally. 


Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8