That Four Letter Word

"Dear friends, let's love each other because love is from God and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God" 1 John 4:7

Love.

Yes, that four letter word. It is such a small word but yet it holds so much power.

We often associate it with feelings or emotions.

The word love is mentioned 310 times in the Bible. It is mentioned more times than the word believe.

Think of all the song titles with the word love. "Love Me Two Times", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Bleeding Love", "Can't Help Falling in Love", and "I Will Always Love You".

Even song titles express love in many forms. Lost love, forgotten love, searching for love, first love.

As a parent you feel love the moment you see your child for the first time.

You receive love in many forms:  from family, friends, a spouse, a significant other, a child, a pet.

But how do you give love?

Do you offer it freely to others or does it come with conditions?

Love should be a direct response to others. A smile, a hug, a compliment. The more you give love, the more you receive. However you have to be willing to give it freely.

One of my favorite times is when I have been gone for a few days and the moment I walk in the door I am met with love. I don't expect my kids to always greet me that way but it sure does make my heart leap. I didn't tell them to respond to me that way. They did it in response to their love for me.

Giving love should never come with a condition or thoughts of repayment. It is one of the few things we can give for free and it should not have a price.

Understand that love is not a blurry line.

You have to recognize bad love in order to receive and give good love.

If the way you communicate with your friends, family and others involves anger, losing your temper, yelling, slamming doors  those things are not love. Those responses are most often communicated by not loving yourself.

Love yourself first and set standards from the inside out. When you set those standards for loving yourself it makes giving love so much easier.

I absolutely love when people stop by my office. It may be a coworker, a customer, a friend, or a family member that stops just to chat for a moment. I love that they feel welcome and maybe it's because they feel loved there.

There is nothing that makes my heart happier than the friend that always ends a conversation with "I love you".

Love is peaceful, Love is calm. Love is safe.

Yes, we have disagreements with others or differences of opinions but when we can show or give love in spite of your differences, that is where the power lies. Controlling your own response to differences starts with loving acceptance. We accept that people do not have the same opinions but yet we love them anyway.

There are those times when love is hard. There will be people we cross paths with that make it difficult to love. In those times we learn that although we may love those people, we can love them from a distance.

If you have either traveled with me or shared time with me at any time you know I am a magnet for strange encounters. It is usually strangers who feel they can tell me anything or tell me about certain events in their life.

I have to admit my usual first response is "why me?" but after a few moments I know that by just listening I am giving them the love that they need in that moment. Just someone who will listen.

This week I challenge you to share love each and every day. A smile to a stranger. A hug to a friend. A phone call or text to someone you haven't talked to in ages. Tell someone you love them.

It doesn't cost you a thing but can mean everything to someone else.