“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
-1 Corinthians 13:4,13

Often, we think that we must first feel this emotion of love before we act on that love. Yes, those feelings of love make the actions of love easier. However, in every case, you will have a greater feeling of affection, what we may call love, after the action of love.

I was talking to a friend about this, and he said, “That reminds me of this day when I was on my way to see my mom, and a guy shoved flowers in my face, and said, ‘Flowers, five dollars.’”

Wanting primarily to appease the guy, but then thinking about his mom, whom he loved even though he wasn’t really feeling it right then, my friend thought, “Oh, what the heck. It’s only five bucks.” Then, when he gives them to his mom, she says, “Oh, these flowers, they are exactly what I needed today. These flowers touch my heart deeply.”

I asked my friend, “Did you have more feelings of affection and love for your mom before or after you gave her the flowers?” His answer, of course, was “after.” When you do actions of love, amazing feelings of love follow. They train you to become an action-oriented, loving person.

Prayer: Dear Lord, when I’m not feeling loving towards people around me, help me to act towards them in a loving and kind way. Help me to love them as you have loved me. Amen.

Reflection: Do you remember a time when you acted in care, kindness, and love toward a person you didn’t love? What was their reaction? What was yours?