Love Is...Not Rude or Demand Its Own Way

1 Corinthians 13 teaches us all about what, we as Christians, should define love to be and what it is not. Jesus was the ultimate example of perfect love. In a world where we have access to so many voices and opinions at our fingertips, it can be easy to get lost in the mix of what culture tells us love should be, especially in sports. It's all about what you can do as an individual to succeed, what makes you look the best, what gets your name in the newspaper, or have your photo flash across the screen while watching ESPN. It's all about you, and what is best for you.

Yet, in John 15, Jesus explains what love should look like, “This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). So if the commandment is to love one another as Jesus loved us, and to lay down our lives for our friends, love truly is not rude or demanding of its own way, as Paul writes.

This love that Jesus demands of us continues to be the opposite of what we are seeing. It's not about us. It's not about promoting ourselves or making sure we look the best. It's about laying our lives down for our friends, picking up our cross, and striving to live, love, and act more like Jesus.

Love is not rude. It's not about our own good and does not act to help ourselves. Love does not demand its own way. It does not make us the focal point; it is a consistent look outward to see others. It is less of ourselves and more of Jesus, every single moment of every single day.

Can you think of the best teammate you have ever had? Did he or she score all the points? Have the most talent? Go to the best college? Probably not. It’s often the person at the end of the bench, cheering, supporting, working hard in practice to make sure the team is great; that is the best example of what love looks like. It’s the person who is willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of those around them. Day after day, laying their lives, their wants, their desires down for their teammates and peers.