Love With Actions

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18

Not yet being blessed with children ourselves, my husband and I take great delight in our 20 month old niece. She stayed with us overnight recently and as I was getting ready for work in the morning, she followed me around from room to room. I gave her a kiss and when said I had to go to work, she began to cry and say repeatedly, “Come?”

Her plea melted my heart.

Lately, God has been convicting me of how I love, or rather, do not love others as He has commanded. I may say that I love them, and perhaps believe that - for the most part - I have loving feelings toward them. But in actuality, I am not showing love to certain people because it’s difficult, uncomfortable, or requires something of me. It is easy at times to love with words but much more difficult to love with actions.
Not having fully developed vocabularies, young children love so well with their actions. My niece demonstrated her love by following me, crying, and clinging to me as I tried to leave. I knew for certain that she loved me and showed me that the best way she knew how - through her actions!

I want those around me to know that I love them by my actions toward them. I want them to have the distinct impression that they are loved by me, by Christ loving through me.
Love with actions means being patient with our children, being kind to our coworkers, and not being envious of those that appear to be better off than us. Love with actions means seeking another’s well being before that of my own. Love with actions means refraining from anger when my husband offends me. It requires that I keep no record of wrongs.
Loving people God’s way goes against our human nature, but through Him all things are possible!

How have you experienced love through the actions of another person? How have you expressed love with actions?

~Nicole Hamlin, Family Life Ministries Intern