Love is not a feeling; It is an act of your will. (John 13: 31-35)

The greatest gift the Lord has given us is the ability to love and be loved. He followed up the gift of His love with free will, giving us the ability to make our own choices. So in the end, our life is comprised of our choices and the path that we have made for ourselves.

As society has shaped itself, we have created ideals or perceptions of what life is all about particularly love. Growing up as a young girl, I had a lot of fantasies about being in love and what it meant. I always believed that it was much like a fairytale where a handsome prince charming came and rescued me. He would keep me safe, never leave me, and certainly would not disappoint me. I was under the impression that everything dealing with love ended with a happily ever after. Fast forward 20+ year later and while I still secretly believe that love can be like this, I realize that it isn't exactly how I imagined as a child.

See here's the thing: love can disappoint you. It can hurt your feelings at times. It doesn't always say or do what your heart desires. It can break your heart. But here's the good news: love is a choice. You get to choose to be loving towards your boyfriend, fiance, spouse, parents, children, and friends. Through your actions, words, writings, prayer, and silence, you have the choice to be loving. For it is in loving others that we are rewarded the most spiritually and emotionally.

Agape love, the kind that Jesus has for each of us, is that love in which we give ourselves wholely, deeply, and truly to others without wanting or expecting anything in return. It is through agape love that we love others for the person that they are. It is loving them despite their faults, their weaknesses, their flaws.

God so loved the world that He gave His only son for our salvation, knowing that we would sin time and time again. Despite our sins, God loves us anyway.

I encourage you to love someone today for who they are. Love them despite their mistakes. Love them without expecting something in return. Love them as God loves you.