Cherish the Love.

I was on facebook, drinking coffee (Starbucks <3), and waiting for my next class. Like most days, a photo caught my eye as I scrolled down the news feed. It said, "It only takes a few seconds to hurt someone. But it takes years to repair the damage. Cherish the hearts that love you."

It's sad to think and believe that people stop loving as soon as they're hurt. Damage to the heart is inevitable when you're loving like Jesus did.
It's true that it only takes seconds to hurt a person and it's also true that it can take a while for a person to heal from what you say. But, the love that Jesus had for people was not the kind that broke down and was destroyed by hurt. In fact, just because a person hurts you doesn't mean they don't love you.
How many times have you had to be blunt or honest with someone you love? How many had to say something you know might hurt them?

Hurt does NOT equal hate!

Parents have to discipline their children in a way that may hurt sometimes, but they still love them!
Do heated words mean a break up or divorce? They shouldn't.
I'm personally learning that just because you argue with the one you love doesn't mean the relationship is doomed to failure or "isn't meant to be". In fact, being honest can sometimes show more love than pretending to be supportive. (However, there is a time and place for support above all else.)
We imperfect humans are still learning how to love. We all claim to know how, but by who's definition?
Loving like Jesus, the way we were made to love, can be frustrating and hard. But, as children who are being raised to love the way we were meant to, we have to go out into the world loving even though we know we're going to get hurt.

Hurt cuts pieces out of you, but God uses those gashes to create a more unique and stronger child. He does this by placing a soothing, warm washcloth of love to stop the bleeding.

Love isn't fair.  Don't choose love expecting it to be.
Shouldn't what God tells us love is be enough?

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I know some of you just glazed through those words. You know what they say. You've read them a million times. Bible study after Bible study, and sermon after sermon touches on those 4 verses. We keep coming back to them.

We should always come back to them.

One of the girls.....
Taylyr