Love Is.....

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.

Those words are taken from verses 4-7 of "The Love Chapter" ~ 1 Corinthians 13

I'm sure you have read them before.

When I was in high school, I remember reading in a book that if you were looking for someone to love, a good way to tell if they were the right person would be if you could fill in "Love" or "it" with that person's name.

For example:
Josh is patient, Josh is kind.
Josh does not envy, Josh does not boast, Josh is not proud.
Josh is not rude, Josh is not self-seeking,
Josh is not easily angered, Josh keeps no record of wrongs.
Josh does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Josh always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

When it comes to Josh, all those things are so true! I am so blessed that he does posses all of those qualities.

However, I have learned that love really is if you can also fill your name into those spots.

Can I say....
Stephanie is patient, Stephanie is kind.
Stephanie does not envy, Stephanie does not boast, Stephanie is not proud.
Stephanie is not rude, Stephanie is not self-seeking,
Stephanie is not easily angered, Stephanie keeps no record of wrongs.
Stephanie does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Stephanie always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Sometimes I have to stop and think about if I am really showing what love is to my husband, to my baby girl, to my parents, to my sister, to other family members, to friends, to my blog readers, to strangers, to........everyone.

Yes, I will be dressing up to go out on a date with my husband. Yes, I am guessing that some flowers and chocolates will be part of the evening, but as nice and romantic as all those things are, I want to really show true love today...and for the next couple thousand days.