What is love? (baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me no mo' . . .)

I love my days off.

I love getting up early, cooking breakfast, savoring my coffee while reading and journaling. I love playing Pandora (and inevitably buying new music from itunes) for hours as I mosey around my apartment in my pajamas or gym clothes. I wish I could just stay home all day, drink coffee and write. I think it would be fun to write a book.

I love the abundance of time to myself as a single person. I love to use this time to get to know the Lord better.

I was driving around the other week and thought - "God, it's so easy when it's just you and me. I'm the only sloppy one, I'm the only retarded one in this relationship."

Because you know relationships with other people are messy - unless you never get past the superficial (and what good is that?)

We think everyone is nice and perfect until we really get to know each other.

But you know what? God made man in His image (Genesis 1:27) . . . which means that He made us relational, since He is relational. God loves relationships and community. He does His work via these relationships. God created relationships. He commands us to love each other as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

But what the heck does that mean? What is love? I don't know about you, but after 24 years, I sure know how to put my needs above others, and I know how to serve myself. It's natural for us to "look out for number one." Shoot, everything in our culture screams for us to put ourselves first and to depend on ourselves.

Well, I'm pretty darn sure I'll always struggle with how to love others and have healthy relationships, but Paul gives us a little insight on what Jesus was talking about when He told us to love people:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
[Philippians 2:1-8]

And on a lighter note, life is better when it's shared. Especially when it prevents you from eating an entire pan of blueberry cobbler in one night.