Pat Yourself on the Back

Love, full video at: https://youtu.be/gzUJe4EHwpg

Most people have an idea of love that is soft and warm, and that is part of the picture.

Hello, I'm Clarence, I'm the preacher. I'm going to show you the part of the picture that most people overlook, I want to show you the part that complete love, starting right now.

Complete love is soft as velvet and tough as steel. People with complete love are some of the toughest people in the world. When you reach this level, you are like the Navy Seal of love, you are in the Special Forces. At this level, you get the job done. You will crawl across broken glass into a burning building to save another.

At this level you are tough because you have learned to live beyond yourself, you think about others (which makes you an awesome blessing, the salt of the earth). Love is what makes you awesome as a Christian. Think about Jesus, he carried his cross to Calvary because he was thinking about others, but he wasn't just thinking about others, he had a love for others.

Let me just toss in as an aside that there is a lot of stuff out there in the world claiming to be love, and it is not. I will let you make your own judgments on which is which, but I will encourage you to use the bible as your guide.

There is probably not a greater example of the toughness of love than a mother's love. Most everyone with any sense at all knows not to mess with momma's babies. Think of all the hours she sacrifices, most of which go unnoticed and unappreciated. Think of how so many mothers burn the candle at both ends. They do that because of love. Love is that tough. Love is that selfless, that is what makes it tough.

When you have time, read apostle Paul's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. As you read it, think about how tough, how strong, how selfless, love must be to reach that level.

After you ponder that passage a moment, then look at the areas in your life where you have demonstrated that level of love. Even if you don't do it often, you will see that you are able to love at that level. You have done it. Give your self a pat on the back, and then love that way again and again as you have opportunity. Even if you just have a tiny seed of love, you can grow it into a beautiful garden of love.

Sure, you will still have to deal with weeds, that's just part of gardening, but as you make progress, and you will, your love will become soft as velvet when needed and tough as steal when needed.