“And so faith, hope, love abide [faith—conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13 AMPC).
“Aloha” means Love in Hawaiian. Love is defined in many ways. When most people hear the word “Aloha” they interpret its meaning as a mere greeting, a casual hello, but it is so much more than that. I love the way Makanacharters.com explains the true meaning of the spirit of aloha: “The real meaning of Aloha in Hawaiian is that of Love, Peace, and Compassion. It’s the guidelines of how to live a life of Aloha is when the heart is so full it is overflowing with the ability to influence others around you with your spirit.”
God’s word also gives us the meaning of the word, Aloha. Aloha may sound so simple, yet it is filled with a deeper meaning.
Let’s read: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
This Scripture captures the essence of the “aloha spirit.”
I must be honest and say there are times I don’t always display a true spirit of Aloha. Especially to the ones who are closest to me. We all can agree, just by reading the newspapers or watching the news, that as a society, we have the capacity to be, ‘an impatient people.’ Those who are easily irritated, quick-tempered, quick to anger—and speak, but not quick to listen or pay attention to the ones we love…
And I too am guilty.
And, living with the feeling that time is running out, we’ve become a society fueled by instant gratification—being patient has been left in the proverbial dust…
I know I forget mine there too often! patients that is…
Have you ever noticed that nowhere within the verses of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 does it say that Love is happiness and feeling wonderful? Or that it’s getting what you feel that you deserve? Or, that you must be number one. That your needs should be placed above all others. No, Love requires sacrifice. It requires us to walk in the ways outlined within this Scripture—being patient, kind, loving, etc…
And it must start with me—you, us. This Aloha. This giving of love—of giving our all. It’s a ‘them-first” then me thing. It is my responsibility to first be filled with love so that I may then have love to share. How? Through my relationship with Jesus. The same type of unconditional love that flows from my Heavenly Father. Please, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to place yourself at the bottom—to never look after yourself. Quite the contrary. What I am saying however, is that before you can give love, you must both know and be known by love.
It is this self-less love that is at the core of true love. True Aloha…
I believe that’s what’s at the heart of this proverb—what is meant in God’s Word; that we should watch over—guard, our heart’s.
“Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23 , AMP).
Let’s be a people who displays God’s Aloha…
We are all brought to Jesus in one of the 3 ways mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:13. Through Faith, in Hope, and with Aloha. No matter where you are in your walk with Jesus, you possess the ability to leave others seeing what we here on the Hawaiian Islands know and live— “The Spirit of Aloha!”
I had been given an assignment by my Life Coach. She asked that I write my obituary. The reason, she said, was that I might know now, while alive, might call to mind—see, some of the “results” of my life. By creating a word-picture of how it is I might ‘look’ to others after I’ve passed away…
What would I like people to remember about me?
Before I leave you, I want to challenge you to do some homework. Write your own obituary. Read it to yourself—a friend, someone close, and see how accurate it is, and then…ponder. Ask yourself if you are—or have, come close to being the person you want to be remembered as—now? Ask yourself if your close, and if you aren’t, what must you do to get there— while it’s still today? And with whatever remaining today’s you may have left. Work backwards to accomplish what you feel is your purpose, your call in this life, and do it well.
Do it with the Spirit of Aloha…
We don’t all have to preach that others may come to Jesus. All we have to do is Love as He loves. Unconditionally, and with abandoned. I pray that you will be blessed by reading my obituary, but more, that through the writing of your own you grow in love. So, in that spirit, I’ll go first, here goes…
But, the greatest is Love…
“As I have left this earth to step into the true light of my every existence, I say Three things are more important than my passing. Faith, Hope, and Aloha! To those who knew me, I Love You. I, Angelica Janice-Pua Mohala Kauhako went to be with the one who created me; so, don’t be too sad; live like there’s no tomorrow. I loved and enjoyed being a woman, wife, mother, grandmother, mama, aunty, cousin, sissy, and servant.
Thank you all for allowing me to enjoy the time with you that no one will ever be able to duplicate.
I’ve held Certifications, Diplomas, Acronyms, and Titles; BUT none of that mattered to me considering who I wanted to be for Jesus and to all of you. As I am now in Heaven with my Heavenly Father I’d like to be remembered as one who loved you all well when I did get a chance to spend time with you; some more than others, some just briefly…But nonetheless, time is time. Remind yourself daily that you are valued and loved in this fleeting world. May the Joy of the Lord be your strength during this time of loss, now, and forever.
To those whom God trusted in my care and gave me as my 5%. remember Our Heavenly Father is your greatest asset in this life, and this life is brief compared to the eternal. Smile and remember that Jesus is the giver of dancing giggles. Nothing in this life can compare to being in Gods will. Some days, months, and even some years may seem hard, dark, lonely, never-ending, painful—but if we hang on to Jesus and wait, He promises us to bring us through it. Don’t try to avoid it. Take chances when it comes to loving others, its hard work, it takes risks, sometimes pain, and always commitment. But it’s all worth it, so very worth it. I can only hope that I succeeded in showing you all this before I departed this world. When you feel, you need me or miss me just close your eyes and let the light shine on your face and know that it is Him you need and not me, and that although you may miss me, I am dancing with my Father in Heaven waiting for you to arrive someday.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love but the greatest is Love.”
I Love You, But Jesus Loves you more…
Aloha!!!
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