When you read the four letter word LOVE, what do you think of? What comes to mind for you when you say the word LOVE?

To one person it can mean one thing, but what does it mean to you? It’s something to think about isn’t it?

Is it something you expect from without yourself, from someone else? How do you want it to show up for you? What happens when it doesn’t come to you in the way you expect from another person? What do you do? How do you react or respond?

When I think of the word LOVE, I’m reminded of a scripture from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, that exemplifies this word like no other. Let’s take a look at it here, from The Living Bible:

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise.

2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love.

3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.

4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud,

5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.

6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.

7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge-these gifts will disappear.

9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor.

10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.

11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things.

12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face to face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.

13 There are three things that remain-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is LOVE.

Valentine’s Day is a time LOVE is expressed more than any other time, and what better way to celebrate the truest essence of the day than by being thankful for God’s LOVE, and then by sharing it first with ourselves and then with others.

May you feel the love, share the love, and express it to those who are in need of it more than ever.