Who Wrote the Book of Love?

This blog is in part a tribute to our dear sister Charlotte Latham who is currently on life support and her husband Don, who have  been great examples to me of love, service to the Lord, and marriage. Our prayers and expressions of love go out to them and the entire family during this most difficult time.
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                                                                            Who Wrote The Book Of Love

Many years ago the lyrics to a song ask, "I wonder wonder who, who wrote the book of love?"  In the past few weeks I have been tracing back over every male/female relationship that I have had in my life, taking each for a spin while listening to the attached song "Dancing Lights."  As it so aptly says in the intro, it takes me on a journey to a different state of mind.

For example, who among us ever thought that love was like the way it was outlined in the book of Corinthians? That's one book of love that escaped me for a major portion of my life. Love is patient, kind, keeping no record of wrongs...get out of here, you are kidding me. Why certainly it was all about feelings, Barry White, and attraction. There was no way in my younger days that you could convince me that love does not demand it's own way or never gives up.

Then of course, when you meet Jesus, he changes all of that. Then you meet a couple like Don and Charlotte who have stayed together despite the feelings of wanting to quit that they so openly have spoken about, and consequently how their love had grown in the process.  And you realize that we, the ones God created to love, the ones who God created a companion for, do in fact write our own book of love. 

As I danced with each love of my life in my mind while listening to Dancing Lights, the lights literally came on for me. Instead of any negativity, I saw the good in each person, the things that attracted me to them, the great qualities they had, and wondered why I hadn't followed that Corinthian book on how to love. Yes, the fault was that my concept of love was flawed, and I had spent too much time thinking about feelings and not enough time enjoying the dance.

As you listen to this song, think of your own life, your own loves and what your book of love would read like. Mine reads very dysfunctionally, but it is not about wrong choices, it is about wrong thinking. Lots of folks have gone in and out of my life like those dancing lights. They flicker on and off, here for awhile and gone, but the point  has now sunk in that love is about honor, respect and loving anyway because love never loses faith.

The good news is that if we are still above ground, we have the capacity to write better chapters of that book, we have the chance again to do it the right way in every relationship we are in no matter what the extent of that is. It is not a boastful thing, not a selfish thing, it is in fact something that is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.  And, as it so aptly says in God's book of love...but if I didn't love others, I have gained nothing (NLT).

Ready again for a spin, take a listen and let's dance!