The Power of Love

by Tim Howard

I love ice cream. I love my new puppy. I love the new car I just purchased. I love my wife or I love my husband – We hear the word ‘LOVE’ used in many ways and it seems to refer to a myriad of different things.

Sometimes I wonder if we really know what this word means. Is love merely an emotion? Is it a decision we make? Is it just words we express or does it require an action on the part of the one saying it?  If there is true love – shouldn’t it be seen in some way?

On Valentine Day the words ‘I Love You’ will be echoed by millions of people as they share some personal moments with someone they care about. Will those words carry substance or will they sound hollow?      
     
Many have written on the subject of love and the various applications but Paul the Apostle gives a concise and clear definition of this word in1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It helps us understand what God means when he declares His love for us and teaches us what true love for others really is.

“Love is patient – Love is kind and cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first! Doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure when truth wins over lies, puts up with anything, always trusts in God, always looks for the best in everything, never looks back and love never gives up.” 

41 years ago during the Valentine Day celebration I spoke these words to my fiancée: ‘I love you’ – I followed that up two days later by saying: “I, Tim Howard take you Donna to be my wife. To have and to hold – from this day forward – for better or for worse.  I promise to love you the same way Jesus loves me.  I promise to support you, cherish you, respect you, and to be faithful to only you for as long as we both shall live.”

At the age of 22, I didn’t fully understand the meaning of that phrase ‘for better or for worse’.  After 41 years of marriage to the same woman, however, I am beginning to understand that this is the true meaning of LOVE.  We have had our share of bad times!  We have both thought about quitting.  The word divorce has crossed our minds.  When we thought it couldn’t get much worse, it did. It’s laughable now but it was painful then. 

God’s love for us and our love for Him helped us grow in our love for each other. True love doesn’t run when things are difficult. It embraces both the good and the not so good and alters the outcome. What is meant to destroy will be used to develop.

It is God’s love, working in you that will help you grow stronger in the difficult times. It all starts with God’s love for you. As you respond to His kindness and His love, you will grow in your ability to truly love each other.

Your love for others in this Valentine season can be more than mere words. Your love can be powerful if you shape it around 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. God loves the world and his love is powerful! John 3:16.