Love is who God is

“Wow, you have been busy,” stated the clerk at the local post office, as I set all my brown envelopes on the counter. 
“Yes I have,” I replied. “These are Valentines gifts for all my kids and grandkids. I guess, at some (point), I will have to make some changes as our family keeps growing. I have gone from getting valentines for three kids to five since I remarried, and now we have three grand babies,” I said as I smiled. 
Letting people know that they are loved is very important to me, and I not only want to be good at it, but want to become excellent at loving others. Every person has a need to be loved and valued. I enjoy putting deposits in the emotional banks of people God puts in my path. When I am gone from this earth, I want it to be said of me, “she loved very well.”
God is the best at loving us as it was His idea to begin with. I John 4:8 (NIV) says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.” 
Love is the essence of who God is. He absolutely adores each of us. He tells us that over and over in His word, but, more important, He has demonstrated love by sending His Son so we could have everlasting life and a new life, instead of a life full of sin, guilt and regret. 
It is our God-given privilege to go through life fully loved. Jeremiah 31:3 says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love and, with loving kindness, I have drawn you.” You are special, precious and loved. Do you know in your heart that you are incredibly loved?
How good are you at showing others that you love them? When I was younger, I did not often tell anyone that I loved them. In my early 30s, I discovered that the reason was because I was insecure in God’s love for me. Insecure people have a hard time letting others know they love them. I totally believed God loved other people, but, because of past hurts, I had walls around my heart that prevented me from receiving love, even His love. As I admitted this to myself and a few close friends and prayed, God graciously removed those walls. Since that time, the more I have opened my heart to God’s love, the better I feel I am at loving others.
When we love others, we prove our love for God. Some people are easy to love and others can really challenge us. What I have come to discover is that dealing with others gives us an opportunity to practice love. I have a phrase I often repeat to myself when dealing with difficult people and it is, “Kathleen, you have to love them.” We have all heard the saying, “practice makes perfect,” and I often think God allows situations in our lives to give us practice at loving like He does. One of my life sayings is, “I am what I love, not what loves me.” This keeps me grounded in difficult situations.
I John 4:12 instructs us in love by saying “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but, if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us.” 
Let me encourage you to begin the day receiving God’s love for you. Verbally tell God you love Him and that you open your heart to His love. Ask Him to help you love others well. The Texas Hill Country is full of people needing to hear and be shown that they are genuinely loved for who they are, not what they do. Ask God to let you be His gift to those around you. He is looking for people to be His hands and feet every day. And always remember, love wins and never fails.


Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie is a native to the Texas Hill Country, a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth and God’s love, You can reach her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog at www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com.