Love. When it's real.

I've been spending time reading and praying this morning. Feeling convicted by my own selfishness and inability to love. Jesus and his love is so incredibly beyond us sometimes yet lo and behold, He asks this of us. His love and the expression of it was and is the epitome of selflessness. For love, in its truest, greatest form is free of self. It "suffers long and bears all things" and in the midst of suffering long and bearing with, it is KIND. I have experienced this love from Him. I have experienced this love from people in my life and it has set me FREE and liberated my heart. Love, when it is about self, is actually not love at all and never liberates or sets free. So obviously I have been in 1 Corinthians this morning. As I was reading about the greatest gift, I began reading the chapter right before. The one that talks about the importance of each part of the body. The parts that seem to be the weakest are the most necessary. The parts that we automatically bestow less honor upon are the ones we should bestow even GREATER honor upon. And if one suffers, all the members suffer with it. And if one is honored, all the other members rejoice. There are different 'gifts' and different 'parts'. There are different so called 'callings' and different 'directions' and 'purpose' for each individual part, gift and life. Paul talks about this but says, "Earnestly desire the best gifts and YET I show you a more excellent way." And that way is love. The most honored and esteemed member of the body, if it can not love, suffer with, bear all things, act kind, forgive, go low, actually has nothing at all. Since when did it become about what someone can DO for ME? When did it become about what church has the greatest program for this or that? We have lived that way and been dictated by that way of 'love' for too long and will always be prone to that, I'm sure!!! But what if the members truly loved one another? What if we forgave one another? What if we went low and suffered long? What if we loved that 'member' and that 'gift' not because of what it could do for 'me'? I'm currently dreaming of the freedom that could bring for so many......when it becomes about YOU rather than ME.