LOVE WINS

“Let us love one another, for love comes from God.” 1 JOHN 4: 7 NIV

If you want to know how to be a good spouse, a good parent, a good family leader, a good friend, and the list goes on…..if you want to be a good one of these, you need NOT consult all the latest fad self -help books or programs. The answer is in one place, one book, the Bible, the word straight from God!

More than anything else, we need unwavering and unconditional love. We need it, yes, but we have to be dispensing it as well. To Everyone! Love God! Love People. Everyone needs to feel acceptance. God accepts us all, he made us all, and he loves us all. So, to be like God, we have to do the same.

I read a simple definition of compassion where it pretty much equals love + understanding. Compassion is where you know everything about someone and you STILL like that person.

You would think that love comes naturally but it doesn’t. We have to learn how to love. And as anyone I have every coached or trained will tell you, how do we get better?

REPS… REPS…REPS….PRACTICE..PRACTICE ..PRACTICE.

What better way to practice love than with the people you are “FORCED” to live with all your life? LOL

If we can learn to love our family, we can learn to love anybody. Why? Because it is easy to love at a distance. But in close proximity, sometimes it is hard to love and get along. Practice love on your family, then take that love on the road loving ALL others.

The following was directed at how children understand love and how we can express it to them how they understand it. But I do not see why this is not applied at all ages.

AFFECTION AFFIRMATION ATTENTION

1 AFFECTION We need lots of hugs or the feel of love. For Some people this

is difficult. A good handshake... A pat on the back... An arm around the shoulder. All show affection thru gesture.

2 AFFIRMATION Tell people you love them. Tell them how much they mean to

you. Tell them the little things. Ex: If someone blesses you with a song solo at church, go up and tell

them so. My momma said mention the little things. Let them know you care. Affirm them. Build them

up.

3 ATTENTION One great gift we all have is that of listening to others. Put all

things aside. Look into their eyes as they tell you their story, their hurts, their successes. Undivided

attention, just you listening to every word. Listening well tells that person they matter to you. They are

important to you! I am interested in hearing what they have to say! I never know what those words may

teach me.

“Love is not an asset to possess for value’s sake; it has no real value unless it is given away freely to all others never considering that what is given is enough”