How Do You Spell Love

While thinking about Father’s Day, early this morning, I found reference plenty that tells us how other’s perceive Love. It’s not in feelings, alone, it’s about how you project your feelings to others. And how you receive them.

True. Love is gushy with feelings, but there’s a piece missing when we talk about it.

How do you spell Love? T-I-M-E…

My grandparents were married over 65 years when he passed, and she followed him six years later. My parents have now been married over 65 years, and mom’s sisters have been married even longer.

How do you spell Love? T-I-M-E…

My bride and I have known each other for nearly 47 years, and will be married 45 years next month! T-I-M-E… It’s the piece of the puzzle that helps you understand that true love is not infatuation or lust. It’s.a part of you that grows over the years, and deepens as you spend time together.

Think about the time you spend with your children. Some parents are judge by the quantity of time spent, when we all fall victim to the trap that it’s about quality. Truth be known? Quantity is more important. This is how you get to know the other person so much deeper. Quality snippets of time are equally important, but wouldn’t you much rather that quality be spent with lots of quantity.

There will come a day when your “loved” one will be gone, and all you will have are your memories. How do you want them to be remembered? By Quality or Quantity?

I found this illustration early this morning:

Charles Francis Adams, the 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary.
One day he entered: “Went fishing with my son today–a day wasted.”
His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence.
On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry:
“Went fishing with my father–the most wonderful day of my life!”
The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son,
but his son saw it as an investment of time.
The only way to tell the difference between wasting and investing is to know one’s ultimate purpose in life and to judge accordingly. (Silas Shotwell, in Homemade, September, 1987.)

How do you spell Love? T-I-M-E…

I’ve gone through the busy season of feeling so important that I over committed my schedule. Teaching at college, bible studies, youth activities, outreach, prison, Sunday School… This was a long time before ministry became a focus and I answered the calling to pastor. I was learning something. I missed the opportunity of my kids for a little while. But I’ve worked hard on making up the time. One lives North a few miles, and the other South. I will break my schedule down as often as possible to spend time with each of them.

As I age, I realize more and more the importance of T-I-M-E. It’s not about money, vacations, living experiences, knowledge, or ability. It’s all about the T-I-M-E you give to those that are the most important to your.

I hope I can make up the T-I-M-E… That spells Love!