Love is More Than a Feeling

In marriage ceremonies, my minister husband always included these words: Love is more than a feeling. It was followed by a few simple reminders that love also included actions of caring and kindness. I’ve never forgotten how he put those words into action.

As a newlywed, I was heating spaghetti sauce in a Pyrex container with the required little wire underneath. Suddenly, the container exploded and spaghetti sauce was everywhere! I was not only shocked, but horrified. What a mess!

My husband came to check on the explosion. When he saw the mess, he said, “You go ahead and sit down. I’ll clean this up.”  What a guy! I knew he loved me by his actions, not just his words!

Let’s focus on the practicality of love. Feelings of love are wonderful, uplifting, and exciting. We need them; however, love’s feelings need to be grounded in action.

It’s like a hot air balloon ride. You can enjoy the feeling of floating above the earth, enjoying the beauty of the day. But at some point, the balloon must land. Then you’re back to where actions are needed as well as feelings.

First Corinthians, Chapter Thirteen (1 Cor. 13:4-8) provides guidelines for love in action. If you haven’t read it lately, I urge you to do so.

Have you ever prayed, “Lord, help me to love by helping others in practical ways?” Here are some examples of this kind of love:

•   God loved the world and sent His Son, the perfect sacrifice for sin (John 3:16)
•   Jesus loved us and gave up His life for our salvation (John 10:17-18)
•   Joseph loved his brothers with forgiveness (Genesis 50:18-21)
•   Dorcas loved others by making clothing (Acts 9:36-42)
•   Paul loved by suffering hardships and persecution to share the gospel (2 Cor. 11:24-28)
•    Four men loved by lowering a friend on his stretcher to ask Jesus for help (Matt. 9:1-8)

You can probably think of your own Biblical examples.

This week, remember:

Love is more than a feeling!

What will you do to show love in practical ways?

Pixabay: Amour; OpenClipart-Vectors.