Everyone Deserves Good Love

Everyone knows I'm a Christian because I'm  pretty open about my faith and how it governs my life. Being a Christian doesn't make me perfect but actually exposes me as very imperfect. Being imperfect means I often say, do and think about things in the wrong way. Being imperfect doesn't absolve me from the duty of being accountable and making corrections, in fact, I'm constantly in the process of examining and correcting my actions. All Christians have been charged with this command by the one they call their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

"Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 15:12-14).

This is a pretty serious command because Christians should know what the love of Christ looks like, how much it cost him and what we gained as a result of his love. For this reason, I'm constantly measuring my actions against this but unfortunately things can get a little squirrely in my head. For example the other day, I was faced with a situation that was very challenging for me to deal with. When I think back on my response, I'm forced to ask myself if I responded in the way I've been called to respond - with love. First, I need to remind myself what pure love looks like, so I jotted down it attributes.

Love is...

Patient

Kind

Doesn't envy

Doesn't boast

Not proud

Doesn't dishonor

Not selfish

Not easily angered

Keeps no record of wrong

Doesn't delight in evil

Rejoices in truth

Always protects

Always trust

Always hopes

Always perseveres

Love never fails

First, whether you're a Christian or not, we can all agree that it would be pretty awesome to receive this kind of love from people. Second, I majorly failed at showing this kind of love in my response. 

Okay, so this doesn't make me a bad person but it does tell me that I need to keep this list in my pocket and refer to it before shaping a response to every relational challenge I encounter. Ultimately, keeping this list in my heart, on my tongue and in my hands will allow me to love you better.

Kyle Christian Steele