WHAT IS LOVE?

“See how they love each other.” Was that said of a beautiful man and woman as they gazed deeply into one another’s eyes across a candlelit table? Or of a white-haired couple who still held hands after 60 years of marriage? Or of a young couple as they gazed upon their newborn baby?
Nope, nope, and nope. Those words, according to church history, were spoken by pagans about the early Christians because they fed, clothed, and sheltered the poor at great sacrifice to themselves.
Valentine’s Day is not necessarily a happy day for many Americans, even many Christians. We’ve bought into this Hollywood notion that love is all about beauty, chemistry, stars in the eyes, and butterflies in the stomach. When those feelings aren’t there, when that “special someone” is absent, we think we are not loved.
But true love, God’s kind of love, isn’t an emotion birthed out of attraction. True love is an experience, birthed out of action. That means everyone can have love because everyone can act lovingly toward another. Consider the following five ways you can experience love (and then add your own):

• Look someone in the face, right in the eyes, and give them a genuine big smile.

• Make a home-made goodie, make a phone call, write a note, write a check – DO something to make someone else’s day.

• Give up something special to you – whether that’s time, money, energy, rights – to benefit someone else.

• Attend the March 21 Birthday Bash at Trinity of Fairview and bring a (optional) Wal-Mart gift card ($5 and up) to benefit Asheville Pregnancy Support Services.

• Attend a worship service at Trinity of Fairview. After you’ve been kissed, hugged, and joined in worship with this wonderful family you’ll leave saying, “Wow, see how they love each other!”

Contributed by Amy Summers