Growing as people of love

Everyone wants to be loved, and I believe that most people want to love others well. We’ve been created for it, we’ve been called to it, and we crave it in the deepest and most honest parts of ourselves. We hear and see an endless amount of information about what love is, but so much of it is rooted in our sinful human nature. Love gets confused as warm and fuzzy feelings, or occasional acts of kindness. Many of us have been hurt by the word “love”—I’ve been there too, friend! We are in an information overload, and a drought of wisdom when it comes to love. 

Our God is a God of love, and He is the only One who can define what love is for us. God’s character of love shines all throughout Scripture, and we are given tangible teachings on what love is, and what it isn’t. 

1 Corinthians 13 is a popular passage of Scripture that most of us have read or heard many times. It’s important to not grow numb to it. If we slow down and read the words with fresh eyes, we can hold fast to the truth they speak. I encourage you to open your Bible and read the whole chapter. <3

“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 CSB

This is beautiful and poetic passage, and it should absolutely still be read at every wedding! It’s not a cliché quote—it is Scripture that has rich teaching for us as Christians.

Love us the greater way. Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth to encourage and remind them to love God’s way—and we need the same reminder all the time. Jesus perfected this love so that we could receive it from Him and learn from it. Let us wonder: how can I continue to grow in love, imitating Christ Jesus through the strength of the Holy Spirit? 

Advice about romantic relationships, friendships and family relationships can be helpful in different seasons of our lives, but no one else’s words can guide and encourage us more than God’s Word. Before seeking the answers elsewhere, take this Scripture to heart. Pray or journal through some of these questions:

Am I being patient and kind toward others? 

Do I truly rejoice in righteousness and truth? 

Am I being envious, arrogant, or selfish in my relationships? 

Is the love I extend toward others hopeful and enduring? 

Do I believe that love is what God says it is? 

Though these questions lead us to practical ways that we can grow as people of love, we can’t love well without first understanding that God loves us perfectly. Only then can we grow, through the strength and wisdom of God. 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” 

Remain in God. 

Abide in a deep relationship with Him. 

Respond by loving others. 

Be dependent on God. 

Take 1 Corinthians 13 to heart. Pray through it, ask questions, and seek God’s way of love. It’s not an easy journey, but it’s one that’s worth it. We are deeply and perfectly loved by God, and we get to love others as a response. <3