When I was in high school, I adopted my first "life verse." I had seen other peoples' written in their notebooks, set as their phone backgrounds, plastered on their cups and cars, and even tattooed on them. Prior to this time in my life, I had not given a real name or thought to this concept for myself. But once I decided to get rebaptized, I felt like the time had come for me to pick one out. Quickly, I decided on the only verse I had truly memorized and threw it at the end of my testimony: Proverbs 3:5-6 ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."). The past few years, I have lived and died by that verse, and I still need to remind myself of it often in order to put my life in God's hands. However, with college and this hectic time in life both happening, I decided to take a new verse on, one that has been screaming to me as of late.
"ABOVE ALL, LOVE EACH OTHER DEEPLY, BECAUSE LOVE COVERS OVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS." 1 Peter 4:8
For so many reasons, I can't get this verse out of my head. I love everything about it. I love how applicable it is to my everyday life, how it can so easily be a reminder that God loves me no matter what I have done wrong (because I do and it's much too often). I love that it places love above all other things, because I believe that love is the greatest force ever created, and the greatest gift we can ever receive or give. I love that it talks about loving deeply, because if we only give a bit of our love away, we only get a little bit of a reward for doing so. We have to love deeply and with everything we have in order to feel the full effect of God and others' love. And I love that it is a constant reminder to love each other always, unconditionally and no questions asked, no matter who it is you are loving.
I feel like that's something taken for granted in society, especially today. Love is not a 'whenever I feel like it' or 'only to this person' sort of deal. It is a 24/7 deal, and it is one I am so blessed by. I remind myself how unworthy I am of this kind of love from God every day when I screw something up, but then I am overcome with happiness when I realize that I still receive this love from Him anyway. This gift is ours from an amazing Father, and gifts are made to be passed on. We are meant to live in His image by His will, and that means that no matter what, we are here to love everyone.
This season, in particular, is one where I feel this needs to be stressed. In a world divided by politics, everyone is at each others' throats about ideologies and beliefs that may conflict. But what people forget is that love is love, and that does not change. It is not changed by where you live, it is not changed by your habits (good and bad), it is not changed by your orientation, it is not changed by your religion or skin color or gender or age or economic status or style or house. And it is definitely not changed by who you voted for, whether that is our new president elect or Hillary or anyone else (because let us not forget that Harambe allegedly got 11,000 votes).
This life verse of mine is not one that you need to get tattooed on your foot to live by (although maybe I'll get there one day). It is simply one to remind yourself in everyday life, because above all else, everyone should remember to love deeply.
