“This is love . . . God loved us and sent His Son” 1 John
“God’s Perfect Love Does Away with Fear”

Tuesday was one of “those days”. The kind of day, and we’ve all had them, that from the time my feet hit the floor in the morning until I wearily hauled them back up into bed that night nothing seemed to go right. I’d recount all the “big” and “little” things that seemed to go wrong, but it would take too long. And really, it wouldn’t matter. Why? Because Wednesday took care of it.

On Wednesday the strangest, most unexpected and unpredictable thing happened; I woke up and was filled with an overwhelming sense of Love. I hadn’t planned, prayed or prepared for it. It just happened! It was within me, filling my heart, seeping into and through and out of my soul. It was permeating my very being. It truly was dispelling not only the pain and discomfort from the previous day, but from the previous months and dare I say even years? What kind of love is this? I pondered it and then peered upon it, like the presents under the tree. And all I could come up with was: This is Christmas love!

And what exactly IS Christmas love? The following is as close as I can humanly come to describing it.

Peaceful love—The kind of love where everything is right, with you and the world, no matter how wrong.

Patient love—Being comfortable with the conviction that God will work in His time, and according to His plan and good pleasure. And therefore we can wait, and wait and wait and wait . . .

Friendship love—Having another person with whom to be vulnerable and honest with, without putting on presumptuous airs, trying to impress, or fearing reprise.
Forgiving love—First and foremost forgiving myself for all my stupid decisions and offenses against loved ones, family members and friends, God and even and especially myself.

Thankful love—The attitude of gratitude for everything. Everything, whether “good” or “bad” in my eyes, that I’ve been able to experience in life.

Joyous love—Indescribable, inexplicable. Beyond happy. Ebullient! The feeling that you have as a kid on Christmas morning when you really do receive the gift you asked for!

Passionate love—Feeling so appreciative of being able to experience the fullness of one’s one body—and living in it fully.

Physical love—The gift of being able to move, exercise, walk, run, hike, and use our bodies.

Spiritual love—Having God’s Spirit guiding us even and especially when we’re completely unaware.

Compassionate love—Feeling the hurt and pain that others experience. Deeply. Not trying to express it in words, or make things “better” by saying the right thing. Simply being present with the other in their pain—even if we’re far away from them.

Laughing love—Reminding myself not to take myself or life too seriously. Laughing, instead of trying to justify or explain, the dumb things that we do!

Smiling love—Replacing the impulse to frown with a smile. Like the painting of the smiling Jesus that I look at every morning.

Eternal love—All of “this” is passing away. But not God’s love. It lasts forever.

Christmas love—Magical and mysterious. Brilliantly bright and beautiful. Lasting not only for a season, but for always. Covering me and you and the whole world, like snow covers the brown and barren landscape, with peace and purity and goodness and delight.