How Do I Love Thee?
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the English Romantic poet, is known for the first line of Sonnet 43.: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” She was reared with privilege, wealth, and the finest education, but her health was compromised by an equestrian accident.
When she eloped to marry Robert Browning, her controlling father disinherited her. She published many works of various types throughout her life, and this allowed her to become independently wealthy despite her poor health.
Robert became enamored with her writing, and they corresponded for two years. During this time, she wrote poems expressing her fervently love for Robert. For all that she wrote in her relatively brief life, her poetry stands out, especially Sonnet 43.
The title above Psalm 92 reads, “a song for the Sabbath day.” That connects its words to worship, and this psalm shows the writer’s deep adoration for God. He never uses the word “love,” but his affection for God is obvious. It seems that the writer gives several proofs of that love here. Notice how.
- HE GIVES THANKS TO THE LORD (1)
- HE SINGS PRAISES TO HIS NAME (1,3-4)
- HE DECLARES HIS LOVINGKINDNESS AND FAITHFULNESS (2)
- HE PRAISES GOD’S WORKS AND THOUGHTS (5,8)
- HE SCORNS THE WICKED WHO OPPOSE GOD’S WAY (6-7,9,11)
- HE APPRECIATES THE BLESSINGS OF A GOD-APPROVED LIFE (10,12-14)
- HE EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE IN THE CHARACTER OF GOD (15)
One of the most rewarding exercises you can engage in is to enumerate the ways you love and appreciate God. Do it in your prayer life; spend time praising God and be specific in expressing your adoration and admiration. Think deeply about it. Look around. Look into your life. Consider what looks like His providence in your life and the life of others. Count your blessings, and tell God what you are thankful for. Wait! Did you mention running water, hot water, reliable vehicles, paved roads, coffee, air-conditioning, music, puppies, baby’s breath, eyesight, and brisket? What about the church, salvation, prayer, the Bible, peace, the hope of heaven, His guidance and protection, the elders, deacons, Bible teachers, your spouse, your parents, and your children?
This will build your love and appreciation for God. It will remind you of how much He loves you and cause you to love Him more. It will humble you and help you focus on the fount of your every blessing! It should make you a better, more obedient servant for Him. How do you love Him? Like this psalmist, count the ways! It will lift your spirit and open your eyes to a harvest ripe with those who need what you have. Get counting!
Don't Wait To Say, "I Love You"
Passengers on board a Delta Air Lines flight were left fearing for their lives after their plane plunged almost 30,000 feet in just seven minutes. Flight 2353 was traveling from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale in Florida when the incident occurred, prompting passengers to text loved ones in preparation. One passenger tweeted: “I texted my wife and dad that I loved them. I told my mom I love her and hugged my son.”
This incident brought to mind what happened on 9/11. When passengers aboard the hijacked 9/11 jets and also the people in the Twin Towers realized they wouldn’t survive the ordeal, many reached for their cell phones and quietly dialed their loved ones. If no one answered, they left recorded messages with their final words: “I love you.”
They could have said: “Don’t forget to pick up the groceries.” Or, “Make sure you feed the cat.” But, of course, they were focused on their personal relationships. They desperately wanted to say, “I love you.”
Let us not wait until we are dying, or we think we are going to die, to give someone a hug and tell them that we love them.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34).
The Bug Letter
They tell the story of a man who was on a business trip and stayed in a hotel that had a bug problem. There were bugs all over his room. He complained about this to the management and later wrote a letter of complaint to the main office of the hotel chain.
Sometime later he received a letter signed by the President of the company. It said: “We are humiliated that a man of your integrity, a man of your reputation, a man of your importance in the community should have had this experience in one of our hotels. We are deeply sorry.”
This made the man feel somewhat better about the situation until, as he was folding the letter to put it away, he noticed a little piece of paper at the bottom of the envelope, obviously not supposed to have been included. It was in the President’s handwriting and it read: “Send this guy the ‘bug letter.’”
[This is but one version of this story. Follow the link above for a history of this legend.]
Unfortunately, this is the way we sometimes treat other people. We send them the ”bug letter,” the form letter. We give them the old cliches: We ask them: “How are you?” when we don’t really care. We say “have a nice day," or "I'm so sorry,” when really we couldn’t care less.
The Lord said that we should be compassionate. We must truly care about others. Each day we come into contact with people who will have one thing in common: they're struggling with something. They will tell us about loved ones who are sick, loved ones who have died, loved ones who have problems. They will share with us their sufferings, their heartaches, their fears. Perhaps Mark Twain was right when he said, “You should never tell people your problems because 80 percent of them won’t care, and the other 20 percent will think you deserve them!”
Let us not send them the “bug letter.” Let us listen carefully and mean it when we say we care. Jesus never sent anyone a “bug letter.” We shouldn’t either.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12).