The Gift of Love

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

Chocolates, flowers, a special dinner out (or in), a homemade card. These are the gifts we give each other at Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that celebrates romantic love, but can also include love among family and friends. There are a lot of clichés associated with love that might not really get to the heart of what love really is including: love is blind, love means never having to say you’re sorry, or you can’t buy love.

There is a passage in Bible that is often read at weddings. It describes the nature of love; love that is kind and patient, love that bears all things, and love that never ends. The original message was directed towards the early Christian church which was struggling to find its way. The people all had different gifts and talents to offer their community and yet, they were reminded that none of those gifts meant anything without the gift of love. Love is more than a feeling, love is an action that requires service, respect, justice, and humility for it to thrive and grow.