it's a love thing

I was reading this verse last night in Corinthians.
I've been trying to change my erratic Bible reading habits and
place an end cap on my day with the words of God.
I used to end my day with CSI, because I love a good "whodunit",
then I started having dead people nightmares,
play by plays of crime scenes danced through my dreams,
and I got scared of my kitchen knives.
I tend to have an overactive imagination.
But I digress.
So anyway, I came across this verse, at the end of the book,
when Paul gives them some last instructions.

Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous.
Be strong. And everything you do must be done with love.
1 Corinthians 16:13

Sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my mind around scripture
and how it applies to my life.
It seems like it would take a lifetime to master just one of these commands.
Each one of them tends to fly in the face of who I am.
I'm easily distracted, my beliefs tend to waver a bit here and there,
I'm afraid of most things, including heights and small rodents,
and I do most things, not so much with love, as with chocolate.
Chocolate seems to come easier for me.
Except when it comes to my kids.
That's a little different.
I am always on guard with them, I don't even have to think about it.
Whether it's checking Addie's mouth to make sure
he's not ingesting Legos
or that Will holds my hand when we cross the street.
I don't have trouble telling my kids what they can and can't do -
on that count, I definitely know what I believe.
And I can be fearless with my kids,
I have been known to conquer dark closets,squash spiders
and stare down bullies on the playground.
I am strong - I can lift them, carry them and protect them.
If anyone tried to mess with them, they would be dealing with me.
It wouldn't be pretty.
And the love part, that is what motivates me in general.
The guarding, the believing, the courage, the strength are
just an outflow of my being in love with my little guys.
So maybe Paul is saying the same to this band of people (like us)
who are trying to their best to follow Jesus and his teachings.
Maybe it is not so hard to be and do all of these things
if it is a natural outflow of being in love with Jesus.
It's a love thing.
And that's better than chocolate.