Since spouting my mouth off about loving my neighbor in my last post, I was faced with putting my money where my mouth is.

Two days after my post, I ran into a person who has hurt someone I love deeply. My reaction to being forced to engage with this person has been weighing on me and got me pondering the true definition of love.

Dictionary.com’s definition of love is as follows:

love [luhv]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/love?s=t

noun

• A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
• A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
• Sexual passion or desire.

verb (used with object), loved, loving.

• To have love or affection for.
• To have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person)

verb (used without object), loved, lov·ing.

• To have love or affection for another person; be in love.

Well, these definitions definitely don’t describe how I feel about this person; and oftentimes, not even the people I’m closest to.

These definitions are superficial AND fleeting. They barely stand up against hurt feelings let alone the real “hard” stuff like deep betrayal, abuse, and pain.

You don’t have to be Christian to see that the definition of love described in 1 Corinthians is the way we all want to be loved.

I Corinthians 13:4-7

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians+13&version=NLT

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.

Unlike our common understanding of love as described in Dictionary.com, love is all verb. It’s pure action. If you read the context of these verses, there’s no conditions around it. It doesn’t say “love if you have a deep regard for the other person,” or “…if the person is good to you,” or “…as long as they never hurt you,” or “…if they are a good person.”

Love is hard, it means swallowing your pride, letting go of your hurt and need to lash out, and at times giving up your own desires for a greater good you might not ever understand.

It’s easy to talk about loving your neighbor, but it’s a lot harder to do it. I fail at it ALL THE TIME and this time I failed miserably!

So now what?

I know I’ll get the opportunity to “love” this person again. I pray that next time I’ll be given the strength greater than my own to do it.