Sometimes God puts someone in your path when you least expect it. Today, that someone was Victor.
Victor is a talented DJ here in Birmingham, Alabama, and someone I’m happy to call a new friend. He was kind enough to give me a ride, but what I appreciated even more was the conversation we shared along the way.
We got to talking about love. Is love a noun? Is it a verb? Is it an emotion? Or is it something greater?
We agreed that love can be all those things. But we eventually arrived at a conclusion that seems remarkably simple and yet can be extraordinarily difficult to live out.
Love is primarily a choice.
Feelings come and go. Circumstances change. People disappoint us. Relationships become complicated. Sometimes the people we love most are the very people who hurt us most deeply. But love doesn’t have to disappear when circumstances become difficult.
We can choose to forgive when resentment would be easier. We can choose kindness when anger feels justified. We can choose compassion when judgment comes naturally. And sometimes love looks as ordinary as giving someone a ride.
The Apostle Paul understood this beautifully.
1 Corinthians 13:4–5 (KJV)
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
Notice that Paul doesn’t describe love primarily as a feeling. He describes how love behaves. And John takes us even further:
1 John 4:8 (KJV)
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Not simply that God loves. God is love.
Perhaps that’s why choosing love matters so much. Every time we choose patience over anger, forgiveness over bitterness, or generosity over selfishness, we reflect something of God’s nature.
Victor, thank you for the ride, the conversation, and the reminder that meaningful friendships can begin in the most ordinary circumstances. Birmingham is fortunate to have your musical talent. I’m grateful to have made your acquaintance.
This song is for you, my friend. Because love isn’t just something we feel. It isn’t just something we say. Love is something we choose.
And tomorrow, God willing, we get to choose it again.
— JC
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