Knowing Love According to God

The concept of love has been on my mind a lot this weekend.
I witnessed the love of a church for its community. Serving each other because we love God, He loves us and because of that it is over flowing to the people around us.

I am loved by my husband exactly as God willed it to be.
I love my children just as I learned to love by my parents.
But I have also witnessed the decline and destruction of what happens when two people fall apart and love is lost.  And I don't get it.  I don't understand.
Because here's the thing.  One of the verses that was drilled into me and my siblings as children, and even hung in a frame on the wall was this:

Love is patient.

Love is KIND....

It is not RUDE...

...It is not easily angered

It keeps NO record of wrongs.  <----- notice the plurality

It is not SELFISH

It always protects

Always TRUSTS

Always hopes

Always PERSEVERES

What I don't understand is if one KNOWS God.  Then you are supposed to KNOW Love.  That is what it says in 1 John 4:7-10.  If you KNOW God, then you are supposed to KNOW love.

We also had to memorize verses that stated that the greatest commandment is to Love.  So if we are not loving to others we are sinning.

Notice that there are no addendum.  It doesn't say:

Love isn't easily angered....unless someone says or does something you don't like.

or 

Love always trusts....unless someone has not earned it or has let you down in the past.

Love isn't selfish.... unless you've put in your time during your life, then you can put yourself first from here on out. You're off the hook! You now have achieved your selfish years! Look for your gold watch in the mail.

No.  

Golden years should  be a continuation of following "The Golden Rule."

If you're reading this and thinking, "You haven't suffered the hurts I have. You don't understand what its like."  I would like to say. Everybody hurts. In different ways. And that is precisely why the redemption, salvation, and reconciliation of the cross is so beautiful.  

I don't love perfectly either. I admit it. I fail. But I DO admit it. And try to do better, because if I don't, then God cannot be near me.  And tomorrow, I will probably fail again.  But I will seek forgiveness again, and try to do better the next day. Because there is nothing as satisfying as loving and being loved.

Because that's what my mom and dad taught me.
Because "God is Love. And he who lives in love, lives in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16