Love...is not rude.

((Deep breath)) I haven't written in my love is series in awhile. No particular reason, I just haven't made it a priority. It's funny how things happen. Life has been so grand. I mean ever since we returned from Baltimore in early April, things have just been flowing. I'm grateful.

When I opened the Word and realized tonight would be "love...is not rude", I laughed at myself. No wonder it hadn't been on my heart to write in this series lately. But tonight....oh tonight is a night to write about love not being rude.

So I've been pretty open about the issues in my personal life. I honestly feel it is apart of my ministry to be transparent - some disagree. Anyways. So tonight was a true test in love not being rude. First, it is Mother's day. All day long I have just been sending gratitude for the amazing gift of my son. I've probably given him a million kisses today. It's about 8pm, and for the first time all day I let the weight of this being my first Mother's day as a single parent hit me. My emotions were flying high and that opened the floodgates for the enemy to come in.

One event led to another, and for the first time in weeks I just wanted to pick up the phone and tell someone how I feel about them. Not what God says about them, but what at that moment, my hurt self wanted to say. I picked up the phone, was ready to go, all engines fired, and then I stopped. The force that stopped me wasn't saying that I love that person too much to call and say the words I wanted to say and try to hurt them. At that moment the force that stopped me said I love me more than that. It told me that I'm better than that. And it also reminded me that I MUST be the parent that expresses greater love through it all - I must be love.

So I'm typing this with tears rolling down my face because had I stuck to my original plan of writing in this series every night, weeks ago I wouldn't have really known what it means for love to not be rude. But tonight I do. I know that love won't allow you to be rude. The most profound part about it is it has nothing to do with the other person. Love will open you up and show you yourself. Rudeness is a way to hurt others. As we all know...hurting people hurt others. Let love show you what's in you that is hurting so you won't feel the need to hurt others. After all, love is not rude.