Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Paul in writing this truly understood unconditional love. I have a young colleague wanted to come into ministry but was afraid of the critics. I advised him just love them. I gave a newly married couple the same advice, you do not have to like your spouse all the time, you just have to love him. In 1971 Coca Cola made a beautiful ad. They used the song of The New Seekers that said
“I d like to buy the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony”

They then inserted the following lines and sang it over the original song
“I’d like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That’s the real thing.”

Coke may be the real thing because of the satisfying taste it brings to those who enjoy an ice cold Coke. Me. I prefer Pepsi. I have committed the cardinal sin of waking in rainy downtown Atlanta the home of Coke looking for a place that sells Pepsi. The things we do to show our preference and our love. If I did not feel it important I would not have walked for maybe 15 minutes in the rain to find a restaurant that sells Pepsi. It is the same kind of attitude that Love elicits, provokes or incites in us. An attitude where nothing else is as important as ensuring the other person’s happiness.

John 3:16 says God so loved the world that he sent Jesus to show us how we should live. Jesus says love your neighbour as yourself. Doing this is not easy. We know several songs where the singer bemoans the loss of the love of their life.

We love despite other things, we love because there is no other way to be. Love allows us to forgive and work through the disappointment and the hurt we feel from time to time. Always loving allows us to be compassionate even while some of us have no gentleness or genteelness in us.

There is another song that I reflect on when I think about love. It is written by Burt Bacharach and sung by Dionne Warwick
“What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.”
It says everyone needs love. I am not certain that we understand that we need love. We are social beings and we need positive interaction with each other to thrive. Several experiments have been done in animal research in observation of humans in relationships and they all say we are better for opening our selves to love. But to love requires us to trust others. Sometimes the person we love, has never felt love and do not know what it is. We then have to teach them love. We have to help them love themselves. Help them trust us and help them love others.

Loving is not easy. It can be painful not being jealous or wanting your way. I willing to compromise but I want to have my say not necessarily my way.
One thing about love that Paul didn’t mention is that Love listens and listening means pay attention.
Paying attention is not about predicting how a person will act in particular circumstances, but noticing subtle changes which allow you as ‘lover’ to respond appropriately. It is knowing when to speak, and knowing how to say I told you so without saying those words.

Paying attention leads to intuitiveness, a bond, a connection that even from afar you can see that there is something wrong. Nothing can be hidden from you. You may not be able to fix it, but you can certainly help ease the pain.

Paul also didn’t say that when you love someone you should support them. Sometimes those we love have made bad decisions. While we do not agree with them, we should not abandon them. Depending on what it is sometimes we have to support from afar. Those we love should always understand that we love them no matter what.

The converse of what is said here is true those who love us should do the same for us. Sometimes we have to teach persons how to love us. We not only have to listen, we have to speak clearly. We should let the other person know how we feel about things and be honest. If they walk away, then that is their loss. Love is open and honest. It is never afraid to walk through a storm. It will survive, even if you find you have to walk away from each other or the situation. The love will always hold up. It may not be expressed in the same manner , but it is always there to be relied on. Taking on that kind of love only comes through loving God and experiencing God’s love first hand. The energy comes from the source of all energy, the light that never dims nor extinguishes. May we find the courage in spite of our circumstances to be open to love and to love each other unconditionally.