The First Week

I think deciding to choose a focus for life is a lot like praying for patience or humility. The minute you make up your mind to improve some part of your character or personality, the entire world seems to revolve around proving that your desire to change is futile.

You want to be more patient, and everyone on the road drives slower. The lines at the grocery store stop moving.

So it is no surprise that when I decide to spend some effort focusing on the concept of love, most of what I wanted to do for the last week was hole up in my room and read books.

But I have not given up on myself. This talk moved me the first time I heard it. Here are some of my favorite thoughts.

Now, for us, the measure of our love is the measure of the greatness of our souls. 


It makes the spirit soar to think that the Creator of heaven and earth could know us and love us with a pure, eternal love.


Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life.

True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us. 

We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.

Without charity—or the pure love of Christ—whatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive.