The Greatest Is Love

I just finished reading the book, “Heaven Is For Real”. It is a very touching story of a little boy who has a near death experience during which he visits heaven. I think what struck me the strongest as I read this book was most of the boy’s experiences in heaven involved other people (relatives, biblical figures) or God and Jesus. I’ve heard that some people are arguing that they think the whole story is fake or just a dream the boy had. I personally feel that is irrelevant. Whether you believe this family’s story or not the Bible tells us repeatedly love is the most important thing. It is very easy to get distracted by the details of life- jobs, houses, commitments, etc. I fill my days with taking care of the house, running errands, working, and all the other little things that need to be done. Sometimes at the end of a long day, I can see a lot of things checked off my to do list, but I haven’t spent any time with the people in my life. For me the book was just a simple reminder that I need to make sure I put time in my relationships with family and friends, and that they don’t get lost in the every day shuffle of life. If the only things that will last into eternity are faith, hope, and love, then I need to invest most of my time into my relationships, not my tasks. Since reading the book, I have asked myself daily- what time have I spent with family, friends, or even strangers today. It was not anything I didn’t know, just an excellent reminder for me. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 Originally posted August 2011