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LOVE IS A CHOICE
This
is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very
best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. John 15:12-13 MSG
Love
is a choice. Either you choose to behave lovingly toward others . . .
or not; either you behave yourself in ways that enhance your
relationships . . . or not. But make no mistake: genuine love requires
effort. Simply put, if you wish to build lasting relationships, you must
be willing to do your part. Christ’s words are clear: we are to love
God first, and secondly, we are to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
These two commands are seldom easy, and because we are imperfect
beings, we often fall short. But God’s Word commands us to try. The
Christian path is an exercise in love and forgiveness. If we are to walk
in Christ’s footsteps, we must forgive those who have done us harm, and
we must accept Christ’s love by sharing it freely with family, friends,
neighbors, and even strangers. God does not intend for you to
experience mediocre relationships; He created you for far greater
things. Building lasting relationships requires compassion, wisdom,
empathy, kindness, courtesy, and forgiveness. If that sounds a lot like
work, it is—which is perfectly fine with God. Why? Because He knows that
you are capable of doing that work, and because He knows that the
fruits of your labors will enrich the lives of your loved ones and the
lives of generations yet unborn. It is when we come to the Lord in
our nothingness, our powerlessness and our helplessness that He then
enables us to love in a way which, without Him, would be absolutely
impossible. ~ Elisabeth Elliot
Love
is extravagant in the price it is willing to pay, the time it is
willing to give, the hardships it is willing to endure, and the strength
it is willing to spend. Love never thinks in terms of “how little,” but
always in terms of “how much.” Love gives, love knows, and love lasts. ~
Joni Eareckson Tada
To love another person is to see the face of God. ~ Victor Hugo
http://loopyloo305.com/2013/07/17/love-is-a-choice/
“There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Two
men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was
allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain
the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their
involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up,
he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he
could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for
those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened
by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park
with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children
sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers
of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and
a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the
man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the
other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque
scene.
One warm afternoon the man by
the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man
couldn’t hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the
gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and
weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse
arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of
the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was
saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As
soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved
next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after
making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped
himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside.
Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to
slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank
wall.
The man asked the nurse next
day, what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described
such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the
man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he
just wanted to encourage you
.”
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