Fruit of the Spirit: Love

I have decided to take on a monthly photography project, and have chosen to tie my love of photography to my love of the Lord and His Word. This project will be based on The Fruit of the Spirit and each month I will tackle a new Fruit, study what the Bible has to say about that given Fruit and then connect that with my photography somehow. This is the only direction I have given to my project. I am letting God lead in the rest.

For those unfamiliar with the Fruit of the Spirit they are:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I have my work cut out for me as God pricks my heart and teaches me about these virtues.

I am beginning my journey with the first fruit- love- and in doing so, have been led to 1 Corinthians 13 (the famous "love chapter" of the Bible). Over the course of the month, God has used this chapter to remind me about true love, both in my home and outside of it, and He has especially convicted me of where I fall short in showing true love to those around me.

I have a feeling this photo project is going to be harder on my heart than on my camera.

And so this month I simply wanted to share some of my favorite verses from 1 Corinthians and connect them to some of my favorite "love" images. (one important note- the final image at the end is not my own, but a photo of my husband and me taken by my good friend Rebecca Cooper, another wonderful portrait photographer).

1 Corinthians 13

v4 Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

v5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

v6 Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

v7 It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes, always perseveres.

v8 Love never fails.

v13 And now these three remain: faith,

hope,

and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Thank You Father, for loving me, for showing me what real love truly is through Your Son Jesus.

And thank you Scott, for being my greatest love on earth. I know some days I'm not the most lovable person, but there's no one else I'd rather love everyday than you.

Thanks for reading through and beginning this journey with me. I hope this has encouraged you to think about love today, as it has encouraged me all month. Next month, I'll tackle JOY! What a perfect time of year to do such a project!

Keep smiling!

Jen