On Valentine's Day: What is Love?

What is love? 

How do you define what love is?

It can be portrayed in a thousand different ways. It can take on a vast variety of hues, scents, and colors. Of shapes, sizes, and forms. And if given and received during each day of each year, and of each decade and millennium, would it ever run out?

It existed with the first man and woman, the first parent and child ... and it still exists today. With husbands and wives, with parent and with child, with friends of all ages. 

There is no end to love. 

"God is love, 

and all who live in love live in God, 

and God lives in them."

(I John 4:16)

The love that we have, is not our own. It is a gift from the One who is love.

And it is not ours to hold onto, but to give away.

As He did - giving His own beloved Son - the ultimate sacrifice of love.

And we, in turn, become a sacrifice of love to those around us.

"The art of giving is believing there is enough love in you, that you are loved enough by Him, to be made enough love to give." (Ann Voskamp)

"Give away your life;

you'll find life given back,

but not merely given back -

given back with bonus and blessing.

Giving, not getting, is the way."

(Luke 6:38 MSG)

The beautiful cycle of love ... let ourselves be loved by Him, then give away our own life in love to others. It's easy to focus on receiving love from others, but how much better to focus on being loved by the One who is Himself love, and then on loving others from the overflow of this love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We love each other, 

because He loved us first.

(I John 4:19)