Agape means “love” in modern day Greek, which can also be translated to literally mean, “I love you”.  In Ancient Greek, it often refers to a general affection and many ancient Greek texts use the term to denote feelings for a good meal, one’s children, and the feelings for a spouse. It can be described as the feeling of being content or holding one in high regard. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, and thoughtful love…God’s love!

Perhaps the best place to go to see agape love showing itself is in I Corinthians 13, often referred to as the New Testament “love chapter”.  Let’s discover how well we do with this “Agape Love”.
The first characteristic of agape love in I Corinthians is, “love is patient”.  I have to be honest, this is not one of my strong points.  I have a difficult time expressing this aspect of agape love.  However; when I look at God, I realize how patient His love is.  I see all the time how He patiently waits for me to come to Him to ask for help or to express my love for Him. He has the patience that a true father represents.
The second characteristic that is presented here is, “love is kind.”  How do you do with this?  I like to think I am a kind person, but unfortunately far too often human nature takes over and kind words and thoughts are far from my heart, mouth and mind.

Love does not boast, it is not rude.  This phrase makes me think of my own boys.  Being twins, competition is always at the forefront of conversation.  For the most part, the boys are compliant and share a special bond.  Recently, however, I came home to find one of them near tears.  He said that his brother was bragging because he did better on a test.  Boasting and rudeness come naturally to us.  After speaking with the brother, I realized that he was not even aware of what he was doing.  As I think about myself, I wonder how many times I am rude or boastful and don’t even realize it.  As Christians, the only thing we can boast of is what Christ has done for us! (Prov. 13:10; 16:18; Psalm 31:15; Daniel 4:30; 5:23; Matt. 7:5; Acts 17:28; 1 Cor. 12:25-25; 2 Cor. 11:20; 12:5-9; Col.1:17; Eph. 3:18-19; 1 John 1:6-7).

God’s (Agape) love is not self-seeking.  Selfishness should not be confused with seeking ourselves.  God wants us to find our innermost strengths and the gifts and talents He has graciously given us, but to help others in the process.  There are certain individuals that I know that have dedicated their lives to serving others and not themselves.  I consider that agape love that is not self-seeking.  I want to be like that!

The next characteristics of love is, “it is not easily angered”.  Wow, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t struggle with this.   A husband one day said to his wife, “You do not fight back when I get mad at you, how do you control your anger?” The wife responded, “I clean the toilet….” He said, “How does that help?” To which she said, “I use your toothbrush.”  I think it’s important to realize that this verse says that love is not EASILY angered.  It doesn’t say that there is never going to be moments where anger rises, but we have to learn to control it.  Thank the Lord for friends that can help us in this and hold us accountable.

I think the end of the chapter is my favorite…”Love never fails.”  This is when I know that only God is the one who has true Agape love.  I hate to think of all the times that I fail my family or even myself, but God never fails.  In all the hardships of life and rushing around, God never leaves us.  He is always there patiently waiting and guiding us.  God’s love (Agape) never fails!

Traditions…those little rituals passed down from generation to generation that give character to families and help build a special bond among family members. They create memories that can be talked about and cherished for years.

Traditions don’t have to be elaborate or require a lot of planning. They can be as simple as reading to your child every night in the same comfy chair, having a movie and pizza night once a month, or even just eating dinner as a family and discussing what you are thankful for. Traditions are the glue that keeps a family together. We all have very busy lifestyles, and adding a small tradition here or there can make all the difference to your family.

Shortly before Christmas, I asked my students what some of their favorite family traditions were. Here are a few that really stuck out or that I enjoy myself with my family:

1. Christmas Pajama run: The week before Christmas, we all get into our pajamas and pile into the car and drive around looking at Christmas lights. We search for the house with the brightest lights and vote for the best decorated lawn. We end the run back home with a cup of hot chocolate while we laugh about the goofy things we found.
2. Special Birthday Celebrations: Each year on our children’s birthdays, I fill up balloons the night before and hang them in the doorway to their bedroom. When they wake up in the morning, they find the balloons and then are served breakfast in bed. It is a special way to start their special day
3. Easter egg hunt: A classic in many households around the world. My mom and dad always filled eggs with money or candy and we searched for them on Easter. They still fill and hide the eggs, but now invite the grandkids over for the big hunt!
4. Winter “Snowed-In” Day: Choose a day (Saturday if your kids are in school) and stay inside all day, in your pj’s, watching movies, drinking hot chocolate, just doing “nothing” together as a family.
5. Potluck: This is a great way for extended family members to showcase their culinary talents. If you decide to do this monthly or bi-monthly, consider themes – make one night Mexican, and the next time Thai, followed by Italian. Theme nights can introduce you to a whole new world of cooking. Bring print-outs of the recipe so people can take it home with them.
6. Angel Tree: Each year our family takes a trip to the local department store and finds an “angel tree” with names of children in our community that won’t be able to have a Christmas with their family. We choose an angel, read the list and shop for the perfect gift or gifts for that child. It is a great way for kids to recognize the joy in giving at Christmas.

Family traditions are a great way to bring your family together. Maybe you can’t remember many special traditions that your family shared growing up. That is an even better reason to create these special memories with your family now. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive, start small. Maybe you have no family that you can share these traditions with. Find a neighbor or a friend and do something special with them. It’s never too late to start a new tradition, and generations to come will remember you in a special way and embrace that special bond that a family tradition carries. This New Year’s, don’t make a resolution that will last only a month or two, make a new tradition that will last for years, even generations to come.

Traditions are fun to share. If you have any fun, creative traditions, please share them here. I’d love to add to my list!