What does love look like?

A while ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to garden at a children's home. This particular home was one where children from all over had been pulled out of their homes and placed in this facility where it was safe and they knew that they were loved. It was extremely humbling for me personally, because I feel like we take a lot of things in this world for granted. It's a lot easier to complain about our lives than to be thankful for the simple things. I have parents who love me, a house to live in, and amazing friends who love me as well. Those children can't say the same thing, and it absolutely breaks my heart. Gardening at the home was something I loved because it made me feel like I was making a small difference; not only in the way the place physically looked, but inside my selfishly crowded heart.

It got me thinking though; what does love look like?

I can proudly say that I"ve got a family who loves me and friends who do as well; but how is that shown? I think Jesus is the one who's shown the truest form of love: dying on the cross for a screw-up like me! Well, he died for everyone, but I think each person's got to embrace it and believe it. I think love looks like being willing to sacrifice yourself for the person you love and serving them in every way possible. I think love is often looked at as something that only happens in the movies or something that's casual. Honestly, I don't think either one of those things are true. I have the love of Christ with me 24/7 and nothing about that is casual. Also, when I love someone, I don't think the love I give should be taken lightly, because I know the love of Christ; and as Christians, I think it's our job to try to show it. We should love people like Christ loves the church. But what does someone like me know? Maybe my love cannot even come close to comparing with God's love for me, but I'm sure going to try to love people with all of my heart. Even though my heart is sinful, I pray that it holds love that is full of Christ. And If I already love someone, I strive to try to keep it full of Christ and have Him shine through me. If he isn't, then I'm pretty sure I'm doing it wrong.

There are 3 kinds of love that I know of: Eros, Agape, and Philos. Eros is the sexual desire part of love, Agape is eternal, undying, and unconditional love (like Christ shows us), and Philos is the friendship part of this love equation. I believe that different people get different kinds of love from me (mostly philos though). I cannot imagine trying to show Agape love to more than one person, so I'm saving that part of me for later in life where God calls me to. Philos love is important for me personally, because my friends mean the world to me. I don't think this last year would've been the same without them. I strive to exhibit the love Christ shows us, but I know I'm constantly failing. Sometimes I fall apart and fall short of who I know that I'm supposed to be. I guess that's simply because I'm human.

However, getting to garden at the home let Christ's love shine through me and the people who were with me. A lot of love was spread that day, and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. You can never be too humble or too loving.

"We love because He first loved us" 1 John 4:19

June 24th

I think that for a while I'm going to have to be content with not being "okay". Philippians 4:11 says, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" So maybe, my present circumstances are kind of sucking for me right now, but I'm slowly learning how to be content with them. I"m becoming content with my pain, hurting, and mass confusion. I think if we start asking God "why?", we'll start to become less content. Although, it's human nature to do so anyways. However, sometimes we forget about verses like Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." I'm not sure if you caught the "wait patiently" part in that, but I think sometimes we're forced to sit and wait for God's plan to play out while we suffer. We'll see people doing so much better than us and others doing what they aren't supposed to, and we'll want to be apart of that crowd because we SUCK at waiting for God to carry out his hand-crafted plan for our lives. So, just maybe, my plan right now is to be patient, even though I'm hurting. I think that it's a part of the healing process. In order to know the joy afterwards, we gotta get through this pain. Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." This verse reminds me that our sufferings shouldn't be dwelled on, even though they're apart of the plan for our lives. However, James 1:12 reminds me that there's a reward for sticking it out. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." Do you hear that? There's a CROWN OF LIFE waiting at the end of this trial. So...maybe...being put through all of these things that make all of us humans suffer: heartache, job loss, moving, depression, anxiety, family issues... are worth it? If God's path for me is that I suffer, then so be it. There's a crown of life waiting for me, and that's something to be content with. For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances; and if that means that I'm not going to be okay for a while, that's okay-because the crown is worth it.

Hope you have a good month or week or day or even hour :)

It's gonna get better

Emma Jane