What is love when the emotion is gone?

The answer: it's a decision. This verse does not talk about a feeling. This verse talks about the things you do to demonstrate how you feel. It talks about obedience.

You see, the last few weeks have (privately) brought me such frustration that the last thing I have felt like doing is obeying. It's taken me places I didn't want to go, and made me ask questions that I did not want to ask. This verse even convicts me about how much I actually love the Lord.

I think of a scene from A Beautiful Mind, the brilliant film based on the life of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash, played by Russell Crowe. His wife, Alicia, is played by Jennifer Connelly in the film. She goes for a walk with a friend and work associate of Dr. Nash, Richard Sol. John suffers from severe schizophrenia, and Sol checks up on how they're doing. The scene plays out like this:

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Sol: So, Alicia, how are you holding up?

Alicia: Well, the delusions have passed. They're saying with medication, and low-stress environment...

Sol: No...I mean, how are you?

(pause)

Alicia: I think often what I feel...is obligation. Or guilt, over wanting to leave. Rage...against John, against God. But...then I look at him, and I force myself to see the man that I married. And he becomes that man. He's transformed into someone that I love. And I'm transformed into someone that loves him. It's not all the time, but...it's enough.

Sol: I think John is a very lucky man, Alicia.

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I love this movie. It speaks of love more faithfully than most Hollywood films ever could. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you rent it, and watch the things Alicia sacrifices, and the things Alicia does for her love for her husband, Dr. Nash. Alicia shows us in this scene, that love is about more than feeling like it. Love is a decision, and sometimes, a transformation.

These days, I end up forcing myself to see Jesus as I once did, and honor Him with my actions. Then I'm transformed into someone that loves Him. It's not all the time, but...it's enough.

Bringing back the Bible verse: I decide to love Jesus, even when I don't feel like it, and so I will obey His commands. Period.

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It was a bit of an odd week for all of us. But it's a long contest!

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(Some content taken from A Beautiful Mind, © 2002 Universal Studios.)

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