What Is Love? Make Your Own Valentine’s Day Book

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 
 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but rejoices with the truth.  
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and the stores are stocked with candy, chocolates and all things red, pink and heart-shaped! Originally designed for couples, Valentine’s Day is now celebrated in many different ways. One way is to make it a family affair. It’s always a good excuse to have to show the people we care about how much we love them. 

But love is more than just candy and hearts. If we want to teach our children a healthy definition of what love really is, we should look to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is often quoted as a text on love, but in reality, we can often miss what the Scriptures tell us. We may stop at just “patient and kind” and ignore the rest of the verses. Let’s look at it more closely.

Love is . . . 

Patient and Kind

Notice that these words are mentioned together. They go hand in hand. If you’re going to be patient, you’re going to be kind - and visa versa. Patience isn’t as easy as it sounds sometimes, and we have to practice it often. You have to be committed to being patient and kind.

Not Envious or Boastful

There’s no room for jealousy or pride where love is involved. You always want what’s best for those around you.

Not Arrogant or Rude

This one is seemingly obvious, but sometimes we forget that how we act or speak towards each other can hurt when we do it in an unloving way. Remembering to be patient and kind (which was mentioned first!) will help with this one. 

You Can’t Have Your Own Way

There’s no “I” in “team,” and a team is what you are. Family discussions are important in achieving your goals, and we must remember that everyone’s point of view must be shared and received. 

Not Irritable or Resentful

No one likes a “cranky-pants.” If you find yourself irritable or resentful of a loved one, it’s time to talk it over with God and let Him work on your heart. Ask Him to give you the patience, love and kindness in your heart so you can love others the way He intended.

Rejoice with Truth, Not with Wrongdoing

3 John 4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” Likewise, we should follow His example and not look at the wrongdoings but rejoice in all the good things that people do, especially when they are walking according to His word. 

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

This last verse is instrumental for what it means to be a family. As a family, we bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things - together. Think about what this means as you parent, as you teach, as you learn and grow together as a family. Think of how much stronger you will be when you tackle life’s challenges instead of doing things on your own.

Make your own book about love!

With this easy craft, you can have a memoir of what love means to you. Customize it to your liking and keep it handy for when you need that gentle reminder.

First, let’s make the book:

What you’ll need:

• 4 sheets of 8.5” x 11” white paper (This will give you 12 pages. If you would like more, then add an extra sheet or two.)
• 1 sheet of construction paper - any colour (This will be your book cover.)
• Scissors
• Glue or double-sided tape
• Markers, crayons, stickers (anything you want to use to decorate your cover)

Instructions:

1. Fold your papers in half.
2. On one white sheet, measure and mark 5 cm from the top and 5 cm from the bottom.
3. Fold in half the opposite way but do not crease. Cut along the crease from the centre to the marks. This will make a cut in the middle of your sheet.
4. On the rest of the white sheets, measure the same points from top and bottom, but this time cut from the edges up to those points. Do for every remaining white sheet.
5. Gather all the white sheets that have the edge cuts and roll them up slightly to slip them into the centre of your first white sheet with the cut in the middle.
6. Carefully unfold your white sheets until they fit into the centre of your cover sheet and it’s looking like a book.
7. To set it, glue the first and last pages to the construction paper cover.
8. Now your book is ready! Decorate your cover and start writing about what love is.

Watch the video here: