How love is expressed

“Serve one another humbly in love.” Gal 5:13 NIV

Love is mostly something you do instead of something you feel. Paul writes, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (v. 13 NIV). So how are you supposed to express your love? According to one author, as follows: “A son drives for five hours to be with his mother on her birthday. A friend mentions a book he is interested in; his friend remembers and finds a copy to give to him for no visible reason. A middle-aged couple in a restaurant see a young husband and wife with little money and secretly pay their check. A father knows how much his daughter likes having a clean car, so he sneaks over to wash it for her as a surprise. People in a small group email each other throughout the week as a way of expressing their care. A wise man once said that just as the three laws of real estate are ‘location, location, location,’ the three laws of relationship are ‘observation, observation, observation.’ The people who give life to us are people who notice us. They know what we love and fear. When we work to truly notice someone else, love for them grows. When we work to truly observe another person, in that self-forgetfulness our own soul flourishes.” Mother Teresa used to say: “If you can’t do great things, do little things with great love. And if you can’t do them with great love, do them with a little love. And if you can’t do them with a little love, do them anyway.” Love grows when you serve people.

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