LOVE

Love is, or at least should be, a big part of a Christian's life. My life is full of love and I want to share it with others. To do this I am going to endeavor to list 15 examples of love and explain why I chose it as an example.

1. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." That is the greatest example of love that I could think of and I don't think there is anything like that love.
2. Christian love. Because God has loved us we are required to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Sometimes this type of love can be hard, especially when we don't like our neighbor. But because we have recieved such a great love, there shouldn't be anything stopping us from sharing this love with others.
3. The love between brothers and sisters in the Lord. The church community is bound by the shared love of Christ and each and every church member has the common bond of a shared faith. In that way, church members are there for eachother, willing to lend a hand and show support when needed and sometimes even when not.
4. The love shared between husband and wife. My grandparents have been married 50 years yet it is still amazing to see the love which they share, and the blessing which they have recieved of a lifetime together and the stories which they can tell together.
5. The love between mother and child. The love and care a mother shows to her child even when they are older and don't always agree. My mum is the best mum in the world (yes I probably am biased when I say this) and the love she shows to each and everyone of us is wonderful, it's true when they say that a mothers love doesn't divide, it multiplies. Each child requires the love of a mother in a different way, yet a mother is able to show that to them.
6. The love between father and child. And yes I do think that this love is different. A father and mother show love in different ways, while a mother may be more caring a father will be more protective.
7. The love between old friends. The kind of love where there is no secrets and even if you don't see eachother  for ages, when you get together it is as if nothing has changed and you can still talk for hours.
8. The love between brothers and sisters. I'm sure not every family is like ours, but the love that is shared in the teasing, heckling, joking and other antics, is truely a blessing.
9. The love between sisters. Sisters are always there for you to talk to, to share your secrets with and to be a listening ear. When you begin to get older you really begin to appreciate it.
10. The love of life you can see in the eyes of a disabled child. Sometimes the most simple things are fogotten, as I work with people with disabilities it often makes you stop and think.
11. The love of new friends. I love making new friends and establishing new relatioships. There is something special about establishing friendships and finding more about another person.
12. The love and devotion a dog shows to it's master. It is true when they say that a dog is man's best friend. A dog will always be there to listen (not that they can talk back) and will be willing to shower you with love even when you are not in your best of moods.
13. The dedication and love of animals to their children. Living on a block of land we have had lots of animals, one example of this dedcation is the birds which nest under our back veranda, 2 pardelote birds nest in the bird box there each year, the amount of dedication these parents have to their little chicks is inspiring, once the little birds have hatched they are constantly running back and forth with more food.
14. The warmth of a hot chocolate in front of a wood fire on a cold wintery day. I know this is not really an example of love and devotion as the others are but I still think that it is something everyone loves.
15. and ummm.... I'm sure there is lot's more but lets just change the 15 to 14 :D