I’m embarrassed to say that I had never heard of it until a month ago. I have never been a huge studier of scripture. I recently heard some well- Bible versed women talking about it in a group. Just last night my son begged for it – in a way. He wants to be loved desperately in spite of his life choices right now.

So I thought I’d learn & share. Here’s what I found:

11 Practical ways to show agape love to anyone

November 5, 2019 Lila Diller

Have you ever asked yourself…

What is true love?

How do I truly love my boyfriend/husband?

How do I truly love my children?

How do I truly love my parents and siblings?

How do I truly love my friends and coworkers?

I know I’m supposed to love my enemies, but how do I really do that?

What does agape love mean?

Why is it such a big deal in 1 Corinthians 13?

I always heard about agape love in 1 Corinthians 13, but I wondered what it really is? What does it look like in real life? How should it manifest itself in my life?

Agape is one of the 4 Greek words used in the Bible. This is the “highest” form of love, the one that is always used for God. It is a self-sacrificing, unconditional love that does what is best for the object of their love, no matter how it hurts themselves or seems harsh to the object. It is not a feeling but an action, a decision of the will that leads to real actions. Like “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14), so is love. Love is shown by good works. What do these works look like on an everyday level for you and me?

1 Corinthians 13 actually gives us a blue print for how love acts and how it doesn’t act. My “Love is” series takes these practical descriptions and show what they mean in a contemporary setting. For example: “Love is patient” is shown in #3; “Love is not arrogant or rude” is shown in #1; and “Love does not envy or boast” is shown in #2. #4 will show that “Love is not irritable or resentful.”

I was going to list out different ways that this is shown in different relationships, but they really all come down to the same things:

• Listen
• respect differences
• ask his opinion
• be honest if there is a problem
• pray for their spiritual growth
• don’t make assumptions
• don’t grumble about them behind their backs
• be humble and teachable
• forgive even if reconciliation isn’t possible
• show affection that they like
• do what’s best for them, even rebuke, as long as it’s done for their benefit and with gentleness

You can download the free PDF that answers these questions quickly and you can print out to refer to at any time!

This PDF is a fancy, colored one for use on devices:

This PDF is a black-and-white one for easier printing, to place on your refrigerator or mirror:

I guess, as moms, we have this type of love naturally. Maybe that’s what separates Mom’s and Dad’s view of their child’s antics? Dad’s view it more conditional – fix it and them ill talk to you- type of response. Mom’s just love no matter what and then are reprimanded for not letting go.

The good news is, it's all a process. As long as we are moving forward in Love, we can't lose.