L.o.v.e.

This is a little belated for Valentine's Day, but I'd like to share a poem I found in a church bathroom once. Funny, I know. I liked it so much I wrote it all down. We can all use a little more love in our lives. Sometimes I wonder, "What would it look like if I learned to really love?" I think the result would be pretty radical.

Love is giving with no thought of getting.
It is tenderness enfolding with strength to protect.
It is forgiveness without further thought of the thing given.
It is understanding the thing forgiven.
It is the understanding of human weakness with the knowledge of
the true man shining through.
It is quiet in the midst of turmoil.
It is trust in God with no thought of self.
It is the one altogether lovely, the light in the mother's eyes,
the glory in the sacrifice, the quiet assurance of protection.

It is the expectation of our Father's promise coming true.
It is the refusal to see anything but good in our fellow man.
It is the glory that comes with selflessness and the power that comes with
assurance of the Father's love for His children.
It is the voice that says "no" to our brother, though "yes"
might be more easily said.
It is the resistance to the world's lust and greed, thus becoming a positive
love of annihilation to error.

Love is the one thing no one can take from us,
The one thing we can give constantly and become
increasingly rich in the giving.
Love can take no offense, for it cannot know that which it does not
of itself conceive.
It cannot hurt or be hurt, for it is the purest reflection of God's good.
It is the one eternal, indestructible force for good.
It is the will of God: preparing, planning, proposing always
what is best for all His universe.