Love

The girls & I on our outing to Lake Victoria

For quite a while now I've wanted to write a post about what I've learned about love since I've been here. I figured this was a great week to do it! (mostly because I can't seem to find the ribbon to tie together all my thoughts from this week!) And no, this isn't about the love in our so-called "love relationships," (although, it is applicable) but rather the tangible love we're called to show to the world in every action of our lives, to every person we encounter - I'm talking about Christ-like love.

In the past year or two of my life, I've been puzzled by this conundrum: What is love? Really, is it even possible to define love? Surely not God's love, because it is higher, deeper, wider than we could ever imagine. It is eternal and everlasting. But what is love defined - at least in our inadequate words? Well, this is what I've come up with after lots of studying:

Love is expressed through action and is, therefore, a choice of each individual. It is always

concerned for others' needs and feelings above all else; it is selfless.True love does not depend

upon how the other person treats the one showing love. It harbors no bitterness or hard

feelings - in love, the past is void. It is an open-armed approach to people regardless of who

they are, what they've done, or where they're coming from. True love is Jesus Christ -

the Father, the Son, the Spirit -

laying down His life.  

It's never a complete trip without a jumping picture!

Now, by no means is this even close to a correct and complete definition of love, but as I've said, it's what I've learned so far. Anyways, this kind of love, "agapao" in Greek, is action love. It is how we love our enemies, how we love everyone around us even if they've hurt us; it's how we love despite the way we feel - because it is an action, not a feeling. "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 one another...Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:16 & 18). 

Kelsey & I with the kids in our class who memorized
at least 5 out of  9 memory verses in Sunday School

In my 5 months (wow! can you believe it's been that long!?) in Uganda, I've been learning what it means to love. Whether that means hugging and snuggling a child that smells as if they've rolled in trash, doing the job that nobody else wants to do, or paying school fees for a student who can't afford it - God reminds me consistently that "If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

With my winning team at Brainstorm!
(Back: Robert; Front: Nicorus, Frank, Kevin, & me)

Nahni & I with our whole class at New Brainstorm

Today, we went to New Brainstorm Primary School. After watching four of my boys beat the rest of the classes we were competing against (who were all older, I might add), in a cone relay (GO TEAM!) and playing games with my class for another hour, we had to say goodbye. It was the last time I'll ever get to do a program there and work with my class, and I realized as I was being smothered in hugs and letters - I love those kids. I would put my life on the line for them. If I'm capable of that kind of love here in this messed up world with my sinful nature, how much greater is God's love?! I would like to leave you with one more verse to ponder. 1 John 3: 14 says, "Anyone who does not love remains in death." We've been put on this earth to love - deeply, unconditionally - and if we live in any other way, it's useless. It's death. But praise to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who chose to love us with a pure, true love! He is the ultimate example of love.