Loving you is one of my responsibilities.…. Loving you is the 2nd greatest relational commandment. Matt.22:39 Soo,, Just how do I love you? Well, Love has many forms. True love is a parental relational combination of all the forms. Love isn’t conditional. Love involves pain. God, as our Father, gave us Jesus who dwelt among us as a model. We are looking at the following 3 forms of love:
Love in Action…… I like love in action the best… I do sweet things for you and you do sweet things for me …. We walk, talk, and run together … I enjoy being with you because you bring me joy! …. This is the easy love of an infant and child. I love giving to those in need. This is largely a pain free love.
Love in Reaction.…. Ohh, This love is more difficult and not nearly as fun especially if I don’t get positive feedback from my loving reactions to your painful action. My joy of being around you is dimmed as I feel relational pain. I learn to calm myself and be thankful while in these painful relational times. I learn to keep from overwhelm and I keep my relational circuits active. You are separate from the problem we are having. This all requires some adult relational maturity skills on my part. Matt.5:43-48
Love in Inaction.….. As a relational child, I never really thought of this one ….. Hmmm …. Love does no harm to its neighbor. (or my spouse, or my children or….)Rom.13:10 Do not destroy or hurt someone for whom Christ died … Rom.14:15 It takes a relationally mature parent or elder to be able to easily love with inaction. Oh, and if I am damaging and harming myself, then I must not be loving myself, and then I don’t have the ability to be properly loving you, WoW….