HOW GREETINGS DISPLAY LOVE

First impressions last.
We forget that others size us up by how we greet them, just like we draw conclusions about people within the first minute of meeting them. What we say when we meet someone is a very small part of that impression.

Words alone do not convey love. “Hi, how are you?” may or may not be discerned as a caring gesture. But if you add direct eye contact, a gentle smile of both eyes and mouth, it will be picked up as genuine interest. Bring a firm shake of the hand with the above and now you have even a better chance of communicating genuine interest. Touch, though not all cultures or individuals appreciate a pat on the shoulder or a squeeze of the arm, often is associated with love. Then if the greeter can include some little gesture of kindness-hanging someone’s coat, a cold drink, an introduction to someone else, the new frien will feel cared for. Time taken to ask a question or two and the use of the person’s name will also make the connection meaningful. A kiss (touch of cheeks) if that is allowable in your culture, is a beautiful practice that shows genuine, personal interest.
Be real and greet from the heart.

PATIENCE REFLECTS LOVE

You might wonder - how will anyone know if there's love in this heart of mine? It's not the only way, but they will find love if they see patience. Let's look at this further.Patience breaths unhurried tolerance. It allows for the other person’s imperfections. Such a person may fail to be punctual, to speak respectfully, to respond civilly, to acknowledge gratefully. He might act aggressively or behave annoyingly. He may lash out without provocation. But love will give him time. Time does not heal all wounds, but love makes room for the person to change. Patience is love. It is love that understands that no one is perfect and that some persons began life with poor models, with a lack of teaching or a warped upbringing. Or the person could have made early wrong assumptions about how life should work. Patient love overlooks a whole array of irritations.Perhaps our love could be a bridge for such a person to find some healing.

REAL LOVE

REAL LOVE PERSEVERES

What we want out of love is that it will not abandon us when when we screw up.
That's why we should hang in there with others when it's not easy- like Mother Teresa

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway!
If you do good, people will accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives.
Do good anyway!
If you are successful, you will win
false friends and enemies.
Succeed anyway!
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway!
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway!
What you spend years building may be
destroyed overnight.
Build anyway!
People really need help
but may attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway!
Give the world the best you have
and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway!
Mother Teresa

LOVE DOESN'T ASSUME THE WORST

"Love believes all things" or "always trusts." That's what the Living Bible says. Love expects the best to come from people. To believe in others as a basic approach to life is mostly viewed as being unrealistic if not naïve. Basic trust in people, however, rewards you many times, whereas being suspicious blocks out healthy relationships. Jesus Christ, the most perfect of humans and also the most maligned, selected and workd with Judas for three years. He must have know the inner thoughts of this hypocrite, yet he allowed him to hang around. We do not possess the insight of Jesus Christ. So our love must be willing to give the benefit of the doubt, because it is very harmful to relationships to assume the worst.

LOVE AND HATE

Hate gets even. Love not only tolerates, it shields others.
"Love always protects." The original Greek verb translated into English as "protect," means to cover, to pass over in silence, to keep confidential. It's like a roof. When we want to stop discussion of something we may say that we want to 'put a lid on it.' Love throws a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in another person. "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." (Proverbs 10:12) "Love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8) Love finds a way to shelter the wrongdoer from exposure and condemnation. This is how God has treated us. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." (Psalm 32:1) Nowhere is this more illustrated than in the incident of the woman taken in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus bowed down and wrote with his finger on the ground. He who knows everything, knew even what the scribes and the Pharisees knew before they came tattling to him. They were out for blood. Jesus protected the woman. How do we do with shielding others?

LOVEABLENESS & BOASTING

Some ways we present ourselves are a negative influence on our appeal to others. Self-promotion (boasting), for example, and love cannot co-exist. Self-promotion begs for personal attention whereas love steers the mind the other person. The words “I” and “me” riddle the sentences of boasters but the one who loves uses the words “you” and “we” often. Boasters avoid events where mostly listening is required. Ones who love consider listening a pleasant consideration of the other person’s worth. The self-promoter participates if he is guaranteed public recognition. She recoils from following Jesus because she finds it hard to direct glory to Him. Me-centric people use others for their own edification but soon find they have few friends. They drive away those whom they try to impress. Those who love have many friends because they refuse to exploit but rather look for ways to build up their friends. Track your conversattions. Do you tend to speak mostly about yourself or is the other person the focus?

COMPASSION FOR HAITI

If ever we must get out of ourselves and respond to a need, it is now with the horrific disaster in Haiti. Here’s our chance to set aside self-inspection, self-promotion and self-protection and see the much greater needs in this world. We do not yet know the number of lost lives, but we do know it will be staggering. We also know this small nation was already among the very poorest in the world and now has lost what little stability it had.
Water and food supply lines are cut. Bridges have crumbled. Hospitals, what is left of them, cannot begin to service the multitude of wounded. Roads have become rubble. Survivors sleep outside. Fear and bewilderment reign. The result, unless we get to serious prayer and support, will be starvation and desperation. This is the time to shelve our personal interests and give extravagantly to those homeless, helpless people in Haiti. “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:18)