A weasel know as "the heart"

The heart - a complex and unique organ. It ensures that blood is distributed to our body in order to keep us alive. In one heartbeat, oxygen deficient blood is brought into one side of the heart where it is restored into oxygen rich blood which is then transferred to the rest of the body. And as humans, we have approximately 100,000 heartbeats per day. What a tough job for one little organ that is roughly the size of your fist. But for something that is so vitally important to our lives, it sure does seem to cause us a lot of problems. And no, I am not talking about coronary heart disease, heart failure, myocarditis or cardiomyopathy. I'm talking about the good old broken heart!

I'm not sure about you, but I know for sure that I have found myself stuck in the sticky situation of "love" before. Love! Ha! What a word. Young children crinkle their noses and say that we're gross, and older people tell us that we don't know what love is. And as much as I tried to deny it at the time, they were right. I didn't know what love was.

So what exactly is love? In the dictionary it is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Although I can't help but tell myself that there may be a little more than that. Of course the word love gets thrown around a little too light heartedly (excuse the pun!) these days. We often find ourselves using expressions such as "I simply love that outfit" or "love, are you sure you want to see this movie?" or "we are completely and totally in love". Well I personally don't think that any of these expressions are using the word love in the right context. Love isn't a feeling or an emotion, it's a verb! You don't fall in love and you don't have a love of your life, because love is not something you feel, but it is something you do.

I know a lot of people are probably reading this and thinking, well what does she know about love anyway? And I guess you would be right. I may have convinced myself once that I was in love, but just like many other times, it did not last. But something I do know a little bit about it that true love comes from three things:

1. A pure heart
2. A good conscience
3. A sincere faith

1 Timothy 1:5 teaches us that true love incorporates all of those three things, and that it is not a feeling, but an action, and not an emotion, but a commandment. Love isn't an option where we can just tick yes or no. We are required, but more than that, we are commanded to love one another. And I'm not talking about the sickly sweet, roses are red, lets hold hands kind of love that you see in movies. I'm talking about that everlasting, unfailing, blood is red, raise your hands in complete surrender type of love.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that love is more than the stuff that you share between another person. So if you're lonely, don't go looking for love in the arms of any other except our Savior. Because if you are not with someone right now, then it is that way for a reason. The minute that you start trying to pursue love and follow you heart, the minute you will get caught up in a big spiral of emotional damage. It never ends well, trust me. Cast your cares upon the Lord and let Him be your comfort. Start working for His glory, and get your hands dirty, keeping busy for good of the kingdom, and love will find you. Love is patient. Love is kind, it does not envy, it does not parade itself, it is not puffed up, it does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 4-8.

Thanks for reading!
Stay Blessed,
-Brooke ox