Love in the Parking Lot on a Freezing Day

Yesterday was the Grand Opening of the new Halal Guys restaurant just outside Atlanta. Ryan had eaten their food when they were street vendors in New York City and was excited about the new venue. He wanted to go, so he, Hannah, and I grabbed our coats and headed out. 

We arrived to find an insanely long line that snaked around the patio, down the ramp, and across the edge of the parking lot. The wind was gusting and whipping my hair into my face and, occasionally whipping Hannah's hair into Ryan's face. It was so cold that the three of us stood huddled up together, shivering, as we waited.

There was a DJ playing music and a very thin young man with an odd beard doing what I thought at first was signing the words to the songs. We watched for a while and Ryan decided he was actually dancing, not signing. 

It was hard to tell. 

A woman with a microphone urged the crowd to join in as she did a few dance moves, but no one did. We were all too busy shivering. 

After about an hour, we made it across the parking lot and up the ramp, but had a long way to go before we would be inside. 

Hannah looked at Ryan and said, "This is pure love." 

He didn't understand what she meant, but I did. "Yeah. Pure love here, too, Ryan. There's no way I'd shiver in the cold this long for anyone else." 

He grinned. "Thank you."

"Love suffers long, and it looks like we'll be suffering a while longer for you," I laughed.

Ryan wrapped his arms around us and hugged us tight.

It was one of those perfect moments in a most unlikely place that we'll remember with a smile for years to come.

Love... It's more than a word. It's an action verb. 

"Love is patient... kind... not jealous, or boastful, or rude. It does not demand it's own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wrong. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

"Love never gives us, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:6,7 NLT

Actions speak louder than words, especially when you're talking about love.

Words of love can be quickly forgotten. Acts of love leave a sweet fragrance that lingers for years, so let's do more than say we love. Let's show it by what we do and how we do it.
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's blog: A Day-Dawning Fresh Start

For those who want to do the James study on your phone, here's the link: Lessons in Discipleship

If you'd like to participate in the James study, here's how: More than Enough: Living a Life Worth Living

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#love