I Love You

I remember April 4, 1975 like it was yesterday.
My mother came into my room that morning…to make sure I was awake.
Time to get up.
She followed that with…I love you…as she left the room.

She went downstairs…put the coffee pot on…turned on the news radio station.
Same routine as every other morning…but not quite.

She called my father’s name and collapsed on the kitchen floor.
I know in my heart, she died right there.
Massive heart attack.
Our little dog right by her side.

The ambulance was called…they resuscitated her…and brought her to the hospital.
She died hours later.
My world turned completely upside down at fifteen years old.
An only child…adopted at six weeks old…suddenly forced to grow up very quickly.

I think of that morning…all these years later…and am comforted despite the chaos of it all.
Her last words to me were…I love you.
I know that…I don’t have to think about it.
Truer words were never spoken.

Maybe that is why I don’t like to hear those three words thrown around so freely.
They were all I had to hold onto…to get me through those teenage years.
Those words…and the God who held me…and loved me…long before I ever really knew Him through His precious son, Jesus.

To this day, whenever any of us, in our family leave each other, we say I love you.
They are not magical words…thinking that if forgotten…something might happen.
They are a declaration…a promise…a commitment…glue that holds our family together.
There is never any question as to what was the last thing said?

LOVE…the one word that gets thrown around much too easily.
We use it as a verb…meaning anything from: fond of…or appreciate…or passionate about.

I love the book I’m reading.
I love that dress on you.
I love the way you got your homework done so quickly tonight.
I love my new teacher…my house…my car…my job…

Dating couples are sometimes much too quick to say “I love you.”
There is not enough maturity in their relationship to know what love is…yet.

Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. (Song of Songs 2:7; 3:5; 8:4)

Love is so much more than feelings.
Love is a choice…a commitment…a promise for the long term…not just for now.
Saying “I love you” brings the relationship to the next level very quickly.
Often, it is said without truly thinking about all that those words really mean.

It is like acceleration speed for a new car…zero to sixty in under six seconds.
How fast can we get to love?
The hard part is…how long must we be patient and stay content where we are?

God gave us parameters of purity in His Word…not to hurt us, but to protect us.
Godly commitment puts proper boundaries around love…and the expression of love.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
(Song of Songs 8:6)

How precious to wait before saying “I love you” too quickly or too easily.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 13)

The way God describes love in His Word…it seems unattainable.
We sin and fall short…we are not God.
We cannot love perfectly.

We use the word “love” to encapsulate the totality of our emotions.
We use the word “love” loosely in our conversations.
God says it is the greatest!

Wouldn’t it be sweet if we saved “I love you” as a precious gem?
Imagine the powerful declaration of love…spoken carefully, deliberately, patiently, thoughtfully…prayerfully.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to use variations of the word “love” in our daily conversations?
Deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment, endearment, devotion, adoration, doting, worship, passion, ardor, desire, yearning, infatuation…

Every one of these words should be used to describe our love for God.
That love comes first!

Only after we know the perfect love of the Father, can we even begin to love the way God wants us to love.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16)

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

God is love. (1 John 4:16)

That is God’s criteria.
It is not feelings…or getting caught up in the moment.
It is giving…laying down our lives…being loved first by HIM…who is love.
It is being committed…for the long term.