Love

Yesterday I read a very interesting forwarded email. It was the results of a survey that went and asked kids aged 4-8 what love is. These were some of the responses:

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with someone you hate."

"Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says that he is hansomer than Robert Redford."

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even though you left him alone all day."

So what is love in your eyes? In the bible Jesus commands us to love our enemies. What does He mean by love? How can we love someone despite the fact that they are our enemy?

The definition of love:

1.	a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.	a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3.	a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

4.	a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.

5.	affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.

6.	strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.

7.	the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.

8.	the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.

Which one stands out the most as what true love is? If all of them, you have it pretty accurate.
So how could a person show love to an enemy?
Jesus also said that if an enemy kidnaps you and demands that you walk with him for a mile, walk with him for two. And if he demands your coat, give him another garment as well. That is love. By doing things even when they make you uncomfortable, or doing things even though you do not want to. You are showing a person love. This is where the phrase "actions speak louder than words" comes in.
Just doing simple things could make an impact on anyone, even the old nasty dude across the street who always yells at you and your family. Maybe helping him clean his yard, or getting your family to be extra polite to him could show him love.
A lot of people find that what turns their head more than showers of saying "I love you." and emotional things is when someone does something so simple, like picking up the hat they dropped, or holding a door open. I know that those things often show me just as much love as someone telling me that they love me.

So what will you be willing to do this next week? It's really hard, I know, sometimes to show an enemy that you love them, but that's what makes it more meaningful to someone.
Just remember that as you go into this next week. I pray that we can work on this together.

Talk to you bloggers later :)