Do Everything in Love

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“Do everything in love.” -- 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NIV)

Such a simple statement. A short verse. Easy to memorize. Practical. Tacked onto a short list of other things, Paul asks of the believers in Corinth, it’s stated plainly. Like its command is easy to accomplish.

But is it?

I wrestled longer than normal contemplating this devotional on love. Love is a universal feeling. We all want it and want to give it to those special someones. So, then, why is this verse so hard to wrap my mind around? The Greek word used for love in this verse is agape. It’s a self-sacrificing, others-focused form of love. And it’s logical to think about loving your spouses and children and parents in this way. It’s likely you sacrifice daily for those close to you.

I do. I’m someone who shows love through acts of service. I’m not super affectionate and don’t love-bomb my husband or kids with words all the time. Instead, I show them my love by taking pride in cooking dinner almost every night, making their lunches, and doing the laundry so fast they can wear an item one day and the next it’s back in their closet. (Okay, to be fair this one may be more because of my own weirdness as I hate having piles of icky, dirty clothes in my tiny laundry closet area.) I love baking sweets from scratch as a way to, in my mind, pamper them. And I don’t think my husband has cleaned a toilet or shower in all our 26 years together. (Don’t worry, he serves me in other ways!)

But in all honesty, while I certainly think I’m a kind person, the thought of making these types of personal sacrifices and demonstrating servitude for everyone, even toward strangers, is simply nuts. And yet, this simple, short and to the point verse, says I am to walk around finding ways to show I am focused on them, to find ways to make them feel seen and cared for… and loved.

Really? Whoa! That’s a lot to take in. And it’s hitting me hard. I may give myself a pat on the back to how well I do this with my family members, and even my best friends, but all those I come into contact with?

Nope. I’m not that nice.

I hope I’m not the only one this verse is punching right in the gut. Do you, too, need help living this command out? Maybe this is our cue to start repeating this verse every day and begin to find ways to serve all we come in contact with. I wonder how different the world would look if we all could actually achieve this directive from Paul. And maybe that’s our motivation. Because the world needs agape love, and we can be the ones who take on the challenge.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What ways do you show agape love to those close to you?

2. What ways can you demonstrate agape love in your daily life?