More thoughts on Love...

We often claim that we love the other party more than the other party does. But by whose standards? How does our love compare against what God defines as love? Imagine if both parties love as God as designed it, how awesome it would be! I know that when we are willing, God will empower us to love so magnificently!
Love is patient*.
(adjective)
having patience
NOTE: The opposite is impatient.
patience
(noun)
1 the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed:
Am I willing to wait for the one I love? Will I continue to do what I need to do despite the circumstances becoming overwhelmingly difficult? Am I willing to suffer for the one I love without complaining or becoming annoyed? Do I grumble within? Do I let ill-feelings brood inside when the very thing I want does not materialise straightaway? Often we say we love, but when we need to wait, we become short-tempered. Is this the result of our instantanteous society where even waiting for the microwave oven to heat up our food takes too long?

Love is kind.
(adjective)
1 generous, helpful and caring about other people's feelings:
2 not causing harm or damage
Am I generous with the feelings of my loved one? Even when I really don't feel like it? Am I helpful towards helping the other person feel better? Even when I really don't feel like it? Do I care how the other person feels? Even when I really don't feel like it? Do I 'unintentionally' cause harm and damage with my words and actions? When my words are unintentionally hurting, how do I respond? Do I allow words which I know would definitely pierce the other person come out from my mouth? Or is my love kind enough to say that whatever hurtful words will definitely crush the one I love? Do I care for myself more than the other person? When the going gets tough, am I the priority, or would I still value the other person even when I really don't feel like it?

It does not envy,
(verb)
to wish that you had something that another person has:
Am I envious of my loved one's success? Straightforwardly, of course not! But, when my child is truly more affectionate to my partner than to me, do feelings of envy arise? When other people are nicer to my loved one than me, do I envy? When my partner can do something better than I can, do I wish that I had that skill my beloved has? Do I secretly ask why God hasn't blessed me like that in that particularly way? Or simply, if my partner is better looking than I am, do I wish I had better looks? Or can I just be happy for that person because of what God has blessed him or her with?

It does not boast,
(verb) DISAPPROVING
to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own:
Do I do that with my loved one? Do I boast about my success especially knowing that my loved one feels particularly lousy in that area? Do the words I speak indirectly make the other person feel lousier about himself or herself? Do I then complain why that person isn't happy for me?

It is not proud.
(adjective) DISAPPROVING
feeling that you are better and more important than other people:
Do I feel that my needs are more important than my loved one's? Do I honestly feel that I am better than my partner? Do I continually put the other person's needs above mine, and not complain when the other person misses out on my needs? If I feel that I really need to let the other person know I feel neglected, do I say it gently or do I do it accusingly?

It is not rude,
(adjective)
1 not polite; offensive or embarrassing:
Am I impolite towards my loved one? Do I treat him or her with utmost respect? Am I offensive with my words and actions? Do I embarrass my loved one and actually take delight in it, and then later claim that it was only a joke? (And then actually believe that my loved one is very petty?) Do I still say please and thank you even though we're so familiar with each other? Do i take the other person for granted simply because 'we're too used to each other's ways' or 'it's been such a long time, no need to be nice'? Then why are we surprised when our loved one seems attracted to other people who are kinder to them and compare us with them? Is it because we have been abusive towards them with our words and actions and yet not realise it?

It is not self-seeking,
(adjective) FORMAL DISAPPROVING
interested in your own advantage in everything that you do:
Do I put myself first? Do decisions 'we' make just involve my likes and dislikes? Am I willing to accommodate to my partner's preferences? Do I make myself feel better at the expense of my beloved? Do I even consider my partner whenever I do something or think about something? Do I pay attention when my partner tells me how I should improve, or do I just keep justifying myself and stick to my own point of view? Am I brave enough to say, "You are right. Your views are better than mine," and truly believe in that statement? When we argue or have conflicts, do we seek to understand the heartbeat of the other person or do we just seek to air our opinions and grouses and then lament when the other person does not seem to be listening? Do we seek first to understand? Or do we just seek to be understood without attempting to understand the other party from their perspective, instead of framing it within our perspective? Do we allow the other person to have differences or is ours the only right way? Is our interpretation the only way? Do we seek to spend time to hear the other person's real message instead of being distracted by the words and actions which might be seemingly hurting?

It is not easily angered,
(verb)
to make someone angry:
anger
(noun)
a strong feeling which makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or hurtful that has happened:
Do I retaliate especially in the heat of an argument? Do I make sure my words will kill my loved one? Am I ruled by my strong emotions when I am angered? Do I try my best to show the full extent of my anger and ensure that the person who has angered me suffers for it many times over? Am I that petty to even be that vengeful? Do I flip at the slightest inconvenience? Do I provoke the other person to anger, especially when I know that some particular issues are extra-sensitive? Likewise, am I easily provoked and flare up to best of whatever I can? Do I really believe that showing my anger is mature and adult-like? Am I that easily influenced by what I see on television, by how these actors actually display their anger? Do I think vulgar words are actually the right means of expressing my anger? Don't vulgar words just reveal how polluted am I within?

It keeps no record of wrongs.
record (noun)
1 [C or U] a piece of information or a description of an event which is written on paper or stored on a computer:
wrongs (noun)
1 [U] what is considered to be morally unacceptable:
2 [C] an unfair action:
Do we store the unfair actions done to us in the past? Do we keep accusing the other person of potentially committing the other wrong even when it is gone? Does love require us to keep that track record and add on to it the list of wrongs committed? What kind of delight does it bring to continually count the probability that the wrong will happen in future again? Is that really love? Do we keep replaying the wrongs in our head and our hearts? Have we actually forgiven the one we love for the wrongs he/she has committed and have the faith that God will help to restore the relationship? Do we trust God to help us renew our minds through His word when the record of wrongs persistently haunts us? Will we allow this stronghold to be broken by His word and His blood?

Love does not delight in evil
delight (verb)
to give someone great pleasure or satisfaction:
evil (noun)
something that is very bad and harmful:
Do we secretly or blatantly gloat when the other person encounters something bad or harmful? Are we abusive - verbally, sexually, physically, mentally - towards our loved one and feel good doing so? Do we say with joy that the person is justly punished for the wrongs he or she has done when something bad happens?

But rejoices with the truth.
rejoice (verb) FORMAL
to feel or show great happiness about something:
truth (noun)
1 [U] the quality of being true:
2 the truth the real facts about a situation, event or person:
3 [C] FORMAL a fact or principle which is thought to be true by most people:
Are we happy when our loved one is truthful? Or do we persistently doubt that somehow, someday that person may not be truthful anymore and cling on to that fear needlessly? Wouldn't that be discouraging towards our beloved? Do we show that we are happy when the truth is revealed? Or do we go for the kill after knowing the truth? Do we thank the other person for being truthful? Do we give them the benefit of the doubt instead of believing we are right by thinking that the person will not be truthful? How then will there be rejoicing over the truth?

It always protects,
always (adverb)
every time, all the time or forever:
protects (verb)
1 [I or T] to keep someone or something safe from injury, damage or loss:
Will we commit ourselves to protecting our loved ones from injury, damage and loss from external sources? From ourselves? Will we refrain from saying words and doing things that would even potentially result in hurting the other person, damaging the self-esteem and losing respect? Will we commit ourselves to keeping the other person safe? 'Always' is such a strong word - every time, all the time or forever. Is our love able to sustain that?

Always trusts,
(verb)
to have belief or confidence in the honesty, goodness, skill or safety of a person, organization or thing:
Does our love have the belief or confidence in the other person? Are we willng to take the risk 'always'?

Always hopes,
(verb)
to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might:
(noun)
something good that you want to happen in the future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future:
Do we dare to hope all the time? Do we honestly desire to want something to happen, or to be true? Do we dare to give ourselves the reason to think that it might? What does God's word say in particular to that situation?

Alwaysperseveres.
(verb)
to try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite having problems:
Are we determined all the time, even when the going gets really tough? Is our love able to weather through the storms and be strengthened by the overcoming of these problems? Or do we take the easy way out and not need to persevere?

Love never fails.
(adverb)
not at any time or not on any occasion:
(verb)
to not succeed in what you are trying to achieve or are expected to do:
This kind of love will only succeed. And thank God for being such an awesome God who loves each one of us with such a perfect love. Even when we have failed him repeatedly, he still loves us. Instead of seeing Him through our faulty lens of love - our own misinterpretations - God will help us to see Him, ourselves and others through HIS lens of love. I personally fail many of the questions above, yet I know that love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And when I continually dwell in God, he will transform the hatred, despair/misery, distress, impatience, meanness/unkindness, badness/corruptness/evil, unfaithfulness/faithlessness, cruelty/harshness/mercilessness/severity/strictness/vindictiveness and indiscipline ** into the beautiful fruits of the Spirit. How awesome that would be!