Love

Can you turn the beat up a little bit
Love, love is patient, love is kind
Wait, I know what love is
It's that funny feeling you get in your chest when you can't stop thinking about that Special person you like the best

Right? More or less
It's that irrational impulse to stay up and talk all night
It's that, baby, you had me at first sight
It's what you say after a fight

It might just be the opposite of logic
A justification for doing things you may regret
It's that reason you get so upset
An innocent arrow to the heart

And yet, it's what dominates you
So you need not take responsibility for your mess
Yes, one word that can make up for all the rest
Success

Actually, that's the myth
But I digress
It's not a declaration
Rather, at best, it's a reminder of the precarity of our situation

Biblically, it's clear to me that love exacts from us a certain measure of maturity
You see, when I was a child, I thought as a child
When I grew up, I threw out this fictional notion of what love is all about
Thanks in part to Hollywood, fantasies and warped expectations of what today's lovers can't live without

However, scripture would suggest a slightly different definition, different from the pursuit of personal happiness as One's sole ambition
Listen
Love is not selfish, self-seeking or preoccupied with self
Because it's not about you, but rather what love asks you to do

Like protect, trust, hope and persevere
Understand, it wouldn't tell you to hold on if the impulse to let go wasn't so severe
Now, let's be clear
It most certainly involves a bending of our wills

And it's not easy, not always peachy, not unproblematic, believe me
But what happens after the romantic, after the chemistry turns static and after false expectations prove tragic
Should love leave and we just revert back to habit
God forbid

I don't think that's how you'd have it
Now, instead, from what I've read, it seems that love and what it means is countercultural
But fully functional for those not afraid to sacrifice their lower nature
And I don't mean once or twice, more like daily

My Bible puts it plainly
Love does not delight in evil or rejoice in why you lied
It's also not disrespectful or bound up in pride
In fact, it doesn't mind being the first one to apologize

And besides, attitudes are overrated
Their toxic side effects only improve on what divides
And why
Why live irritated with a frustration that nurtures hatred when you can love

You see, love is not easily angered
Everything don't have to be a fight
Try your patience
Get on your nerves or ruin your life

Breathe
Stay calm
And try not to operate out of spite
What if I told you everything's gonna be alright

It might
And it might not
However, everything doesn't deserve your wrath
Therefore, vengeance shouldn't always direct your path

Even if they, let's say, forget something at the store, neglect to wipe down the stove, or Just take too long getting Ready
Interrupt, ignore, or serve you frowns with your spaghetti
Even if they call you petty
Yup

Especially that
Furthermore, love does not envy
No, not one bit
It is content, satisfied, and has no need for outside supplements

Better yet, love keeps no record of wrongs
And what that means to represent is the downside and danger always already Prevalent in resentment
If you say I love you, what you're really saying is that regardless of my critique, I'm not Bringing up what you did wrong last week
A constant reminder of where they fall short paints their contributions as weak until Future prospects begin to look bleak

Instead, look forward for a fresh start that we all seek
This love right here is unique, not a Christian cliche
It's what the Apostle Paul calls the most excellent way
However, it does not come natural, I'm afraid

We must adjust our expectations and pray for help
Because we can't do it alone
That's why love does not boast, but points back to the throne
God is love

And if love will never fail, then what do you think that says about our chances to prevail
So, you can be as fancy as you want to be, moving mountains in and out of the sea, Feeding the poor, and sharing Prophecy
Even solve the world's last unsolved mystery
But it won't make you complete

See, this is only a start
For we know only in part, but when completeness comes, and before we depart, as the Lord's glory is displayed, Just remember, everything else will fade
And now these three remain
Faith, hope, and love

But the greatest of these is love