I found the Ultimate Love Test. Are you ready? So, to find out if you REALLY love your spouse, kids, significant other, etc., answer these questions about your loved one:
1.) Am I patient with him/her?
2.) Am I kind towards him/her?
3.) Do I never envy him/her?
4.) Do I never boast in front of him/her?
5.) Am I never prideful with him/her?
6.) Am I never rude towards him/her?
7.) Am I never self-seeking within my relationship?
8.) Am I never easily angered towards him/her?
9.) Do I keep no record of the wrongs he/she has done against me?
10.) Do I delight in the truth rather than evil?
11.) Do I always protect him/her?
12.) Do I always trust him/her?
13.) Do I always hope in him/her?
14.) Do I always perservere in our relationship?
If you answered "No" to any of the above questions, you FAILED the Ultimate Love Test!
Before you start beating yourself up, take heart! We all have "failed" this test at one time or another, but what a wonderful reminder it is to us as to what it means to truly love. Our world has such a messed up notion about love that we need to constantly be reminded of its true meaning.
Believe you me, I fail at this checklist day after day in my interactions with my spouse, daughter, and other loved ones. I proclaim such an undying, unchanging love for them, but my actions often show the complete opposite. God has really convicted me on the importance of my words matching my actions so I am really going to be working on this whole love thing.
One of the things I struggle with is using my mouth for encouragement rather than discouragement. I am going to be working on this more consciously now, especially with those I love the most. We have such an opportunity and power when it comes to those we love: we can be their greatest supporter or their most destructive foe. Ultimately, the choice between the two lies in how our actions line up with the Ultimate Love Test!
Will you take this challenge with me? Type up the Ultimate Love Test, put it in a place of prominence, that is someplace you will see it often (for me, that would be the fridge) and then challenge yourself to PASS the Ultimate Love Test each and every day.
THE ULTIMATE LOVE TEST
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude,it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”-1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Here's to love...
Until next time,
-C.
Your Turn (respond in my comments if you would like):
1.) What is the "hardest" part of the test for you? (For me, it is the whole patience, keeping no records of wrongs, and not being self-seeking, just to name a few...)
2.) What makes this test SO difficult?
3.) How can you show love in real, practical ways?
1 comment:
You're right. We will all fail one thing or another at some point in time. We unlike Christ are not perfect....in any measure. But it reminds us to keep striving for that unconditional love...in it's truest form. All I can do is try....granted I can always...always...try harder....that's my test. Will I?
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