01-06-10 (Tuesday) "3 Magic Words"

Its week 13 already. Final week of the semester. Its quite scary how the whole semester just passed me by like that. Yet through it all, its always such a good feeling to look back and just see how God has been faithful to me.

I was just thinking of how the phrase "I love you" works. It seems to me that this phrase only comes out when the other party does something nice to us.

I help cook you dinner... "I love you".
I buy you some milkshake when you are not expecting it... "I love you".
I get some cookies and hang 'em on your door when you're feeling down... "I love you".
(All 3 of my examples somehow happened to involve food but those were the only examples I could think of now, sorry.)

What about when I am tired and I say some nasty words?... No "I love you"?
What about when I am a total jerk and just brush past you amidst our 'cold war'?... No "I love you"?
What about when I hang up all your calls and ignore your messages?... No "I love you"?

Its easy to love others when they're in their top form, when nothing wrong can be found in them. But love doesn't just happen when they're at their peak, right? Its in the deepest, darkest, lowest, ugliest moments of their lives that one's love is tested.

"I love you" now for sure... Who wouldn't love me when I am such a gentleman? But what about the times when I uttered not a single loving word? Try saying "I love you" then. Have a think about whether you actually love the person or just that small deed that s/he did.

"Would you love yourself if you were someone else but you knew every single detail of yourself?" quoted Andy Low from his pastor. Yet God chose to love us still. Every single detail of us. Even the bad and the ugly.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth
so that you have sincere love for your brothers,
love one another deeply,
from the heart
~ 1 Peter 1:22