What is Love (2)?

It is not so much the outer appearance, but the inner that is important

Love is…

I am sure that many of you have heard mention of or read the scripture describing what love is.  I wish to go into more detail.  The Scripture is found in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  These scriptures speak of charity, which is pure love:

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charityenvieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

In verse 13 it says:

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.“

In this scripture love, or charity, is described as having sixteen different traits.  I wish to spend a little time with each.  (This may take a few posts).

5.  Love is Not Puffed Up

What does it mean to be puffed up?  I often think of animals in their mating seasons when I think of this description.  Many male animals have colorful feathers or a way of showing the females that they are attractive.

I think pure love has little to do with the outward appearance.  It is what is on the inside that counts.  When I think of flashy shows of affection or attraction, I immediately think of how false that show can actually be.  True love is not puffed up.  True love is knowing someone for who they really are.  It is being honest with one another.  It is seeing someone for who he/she really is as a son or daughter of Deity.

6.  Love Does Not Behave Itself Unseemly

In the Oxford 1828 Dictionary, Unseemly is defined as:

“Not fit or becoming; uncomely; unbecoming; indecent.”

The way I look at this, is that saying that love does not behave itself unseemly, means that love is modest.  So one may wonder what it really means to be modest.  Modesty can come in many different forms.  It can deal with dress and grooming, language and behavior, etc.  In True to the Faith:  A Gospel Reference, Modesty is described as the following:

“Modesty is an attitude of humility and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior.  If you are modest, you do not draw undue attention to yourself.  Instead, you seek to ‘glorify God in your body, and in your spirit.'”

True love seeks to glorify God.  Questions we may ask ourselves if we are wondering if we are behaving unseemly are:

1. Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord’s presence?
2. Would I say these words or participate in these activities if the Lord were present?

True love is not unseemly.  It does not seek to draw attention to itself.

7.  Love Seeks Not Her Own

True love is more worried about others than about self.  This is so true and perfect in the Savior’s example to all of the children of God.  He was not thinking of himself as he continued to suffer so much so that we might be saved from our sins and from death.  He sought always to do the Father’s will.

In our love do we seek to make ourselves happy, or others happy?  Who are we more worried about:  ourselves or the other person?

I was once told a story about a couple’s engagement who was broken off because one of the two of them believed that they would not share the money they earned.  Whoever earned the money, would be the one who spent it or decided what to do with it, even in marriage.  Perhaps, this was not true love, for the person was thinking more of self than the other.

8.  Love is Not Easily Provoked

Now this is a hard one for many.  It is easy to get offended and provoked.  In fact, it is almost human nature.  We watch out for ourselves and sometimes the littlest things can cause us to bubble under our skin.  We get irritated with people continually putting dishes in the sink rather than the dishwasher, or with people leaving doors or cupboards open, etc.  You can just think of what gets under your skin (your pet peeves).

We as people have things that bug us.  But do we allow ourselves to be provoked by those things?  Continually, when the Savior was being tempted and tried by the Sadducees, He did not allow Himself to be provoked.  He remained silent or taught great doctrine.  He counsels us to turn the other cheek and to do more than is expected of us.

He truly loves us.  We can follow His example of pure love as we control our tempers and our immediate reactions to those things that get under our skin.  Perhaps, us being comfortable with every little thing around us is not as important as others feeling of the pure love of Christ.