Wooooo, finally made it to the last fruit of the Spirit. And it's a pretty important one.
Love.
There is not a single person on this earth that doesn't long for love. Lucky for all those people of the earth, love is universal. Because God permeates all pieces of this universe, love can be uncovered everywhere. I found it in an orphanage in Honduras.
One of the most famous descriptions of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. I'm sure you're familiar.
Can't argue with a description like that! It's all true and all so beautiful. Still, I'm going to add on to that. My life has taught me a few things on true love..
Love…
Is security
Is done in faith
Is not easily swayed
Is not always clean or pretty
Rejoices being pulled out of the "easy zone"
Always works to be others-focused
Always brings joy
Always wins
I felt all of these descriptions so strongly over there at Orphanage Emmanuel… that I KNOW them to be true. I got to witness the incredible patience of the volunteers with the children of special needs. I got to see how messy and dirty love can be when you're trying to care for 25 four year old boys. I got to feel the deep hearted laughter that develops when you just focus on bringing joy into someone else's life. I felt the freedom the children have when they realize that the people around them are there to love them and keep them safe. I gained the reward of pushing myself out into the mercy of love.
There are a million different ways we show love and experience love, but they all come down to the same core values. It's because of the Spirit! The same Spirit that creates joy, patience, self-control, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, peace and goodness. Love wraps them all up into one!
I'm just a 25 year old girl who has never been married or had kids. I am SURE I will have so much more to add to this conversation once those events happen! But for right now, that's the best definition of love I discovered over in Honduras. Need some more proof? Just check out this smile on my face…
