Love in Action

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (My italics)

Now here's a verse that I think everyone would agree with. It's very easy to tell someone, "I love you." It's slightly more challenging to actually show someone, "I love you."

Why is that? Because love in action requires putting another's interests ahead of our own. Words can be empty and hollow. Actions can't be. They have to be planned out and then carried out. Words can be picked out of thin air. Actions develop in the heart. Love in action means love in the heart.

For instance, love in action could mean emptying the dishwasher without being prompted (something I could do more of). It could mean getting the baby ready for bed and sitting with her while your wife has some time to herself. Love in action means figuring out what makes your friend/spouse/whoever feel most loved. This book and its other iterations give great insight into the basic ways people both give and receive love.

The bottom line is that we must show love to those we love. The words that come out of our mouth must line up with our actions. If there's a disconnect, the meaning of those words or actions loses value.

Let us not forget the example of love: "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."

Have a great day!

-D

On Comfy Chairs and Love

Every once in a while we need reminders and perspective on the preciousness and value of love. Tonight was my reminder.

You see, our sweet daughter has been undergoing a barrage of teething the last few months. Not just any teething mind you, but the dreaded molars - the big ones - have been popping through. For whatever reason, the last one-year molar is soooooo close to erupting, which, by the way, might be the worst term ever for a tooth coming in, but has yet to break the surface.

Anyway, poor Ny had been struggling for 45 minutes, obviously hurting and obviously not happy about it. Our best efforts at helping her were falling on swollen gums and big tears. It's difficult to listen to any baby cry like that, but when she's your kid, it's even more so.

So Dada gets her ready for bed. She's still upset and still hurting. Down we sit in the big, new comfy chair in her room, with her "lovey" in hand and finger in her mouth. Still very upset, she wiggled around until she found the perfect spot on Dada's chest - the spot where everything feels better and things don't hurt as much.

As I sat there, softly singing (not well mind you) some good ol' hymns, the teaching moment happened. All Ny wanted at that point was relief and comfort. She needed snuggle time, and I was the one who could help her. I was the one who could love her like no one else. What an incredible, incredible picture of the unconditional love of the Almighty God - who will love us like no else and hold us when we are unlovely, crying, in pain, and in need of help. She calmed down and slowly drifted off to sleep, content that Dada was there.

With tears in my eyes, two thoughts came to mind: 1) what a lesson on unconditional love parenthood is, and 2) to treasure moments like this, because it won't be like this for long.

-D

Sent from my iPad