Love has become such a common word. One of the many television commercials tells us that a car is love. We just love that dress! We love your house. Oh, but I love your apple pie. You get the idea. We say we love everything, but how many times today have you said “I love you God” or even telling our child or our spouse we love them?

I’m thinking about this today when there seems to be so little love in our world. the signs people carry as they go about our cities say it all, they hate everything! There is no room for love. So I thought I’d tell you what love is. Maybe you even know 1 Corinthians chapter 13 very well, but please read each sentence slowly. The words will have so much feeling in them and will mean so much to you.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. love never fails. (nasb)

Now, can you read that and look in your newspapers or watch on television and not see that many Americans are going in the wrong direction. Maybe we are too. We need to love the members of our family, our neighbors and even those people who are carrying signs and yelling profanities. Not only love them but pray for all of them as well.

As many of you know, I have been on the sick list for quite a while, My worst day happened Sunday when my whole family, all except those who live in New Mexico, decided to celebrate my grand daughter, Sarah’s, 17th birthday at my house. I haven’t been outdoors except to go to the doctor for about five weeks. I didn’t celebrate very much though. I felt awful the whole day!

When the celebration was over, I went to bed. Somewhere in the middle of the night I found myself in the bathroom, I don’t remember how I got there but I was afraid I would fall. I put one hand on the cabinet and the other on a door. I said, “I don’t want to fall. I don’t want another stroke!” I kept saying that over and over. I don’t know whether I heard something, but I looked over toward the door and I saw Mom and Dad standing there. They, of course, died several years ago. Mom was wearing a long, white dress. I couldn’t see what Dad was wearing because he was standing behind Mom. They said “Come with us, come with us” over and over. I said, “No, I don’t want to fall and I don’t want another stroke.” I didn’t seem at all surprised that they were there! Soon, Mom and Dad left.

The next thing I remembered was that I was sitting up in bed. I, finally, went back to sleep. In the morning, the first thing I discovered was my dizziness was gone! I stood up and walked a few steps and there was no pain at all! I had broken ribs, terrible pain in my back, pain in my legs, plus I was always dizzy, What do you think? I think God came to visit with my Mom and Dad! I have half expected the pain to come back for two days, but I am amazed, not only to think God cares this much for me, but that my pain is all gone!