Commandments and Love

I had the opportunity to attend my Stake's Conference last night, thanks to Sari and Heather. ;) One of the speakers there, and the man presiding over the meeting, was Elder Craig B. Terry, a member of the fifth Quorum of the Seventy. His message focused on many subjects, but primarily, He spoke of the Love of God. As recorded in my journal, He "testified repeatedly about how perfect God's love is for us.. . . . He loves every one of His children. Our very lives are possible only through Him. Our eternal lives will be granted to us by Him, according to our willingness to keep His Commandments." As Elder Terry spoke to the Young Single Adults gathered there in the chapel, my mind quickly made a connection between that ever-important principal of the Gospel [love], and the principle of the Commandments of God. Maybe those of you reading this have already made this connection before, but I had not really thought about how everything we do, every time we act in accordance to God, we are to act in love - everything is centered on that love.
 I wrote furiously as my thoughts flowed, and now that I can portray some semblance of order regarding the inspiration I felt, I would like to share some of that with you, as an extension of the various testimonies that I have born to you in previous posts:
The Commandments of God are founded upon love. He asks that we love His other children just as He pours out His blessings of love upon us, His children, every moment. As we love others, we are actively loving God - our Father, Creator - and His Son - our Savior and Redeemer. Every Commandment He gives us is based on that love. We obey God because we love Him, because He loves us perfectly and endlessly. Our very lives are evidence of His love. His Commandments are guides, not roadblocks, as we walk the path to return to Him. 
The first Commandment, to create and bear children, is based on one of the greatest acts of love:
"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife."
In the very first chapter of Genesis, verse 28, it is recorded that after creating man, "God blessed them, and  . . . said unto them, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. . . .'"
The act of a husband and wife coming together faithfully to create a child is an act of love. 
The second Commandment was given in love:
"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  My personal translation of that scripture is this: "you may eat of any tree in the Garden without consequence; you will neither progress nor digress; but if you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there will be a consequence. That consequence will be eventual death; you will not live in the Garden forever. Therefore, if you desire to live here indefinitely, don't partake of the fruit.As I ponder on this, I see this scripture as more of the loving advice of a Father to His children. Of course, when the Lord says to do something, or not to do something, it is a Commandment. He is an unchangeable being, and cannot go back on His word. But I have the feeling that we do not have the complete story behind Him commanding Adam and Eve to not partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He had to allow them to exercise their agency, another gift of His love, and they had to know the risks, consequences involved. But there was a greater Commandment, and they selflessly obeyed. They acted in love; love for each other; love for their children, and all mankind; and ultimately, their love and respect (another word for love in my book) for their Father.
From my journal: Father wanted Adam and Eve to be surrounded by children, their loved ones. He did not want them to be alone - His Plan of Salvation is centered on families; mothers, fathers, sons, daughters.  He wanted them to bear children so that His other spirit children could obtain bodies and live on this earth. Conception, the act of love on Adam and Eve's part; life, our gift of love from our Father; and families, the center of God's Plan of Salvation = love, pure and sacred.
Other Commandments follow in love:
1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me.If we love God, truly love Him, we will never let anything come between us and Him, never put anything before Him.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. . . .(see above)
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. . . .The Lord asks us to respect Him and His name. To respect is to love.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. . . .Again, respect. Respect to God and His day, His word, His holiness. Respect and love go hand-in-hand.
5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother. . . .Honor your parents, earthly, and Heavenly. Respect them. Obey them. Honor, respect, obedience . . . all boil down to actively expressing our love.
6. Thou shalt not kill.This is a given: if you love someone, you will have no desire to kill them. You will not hold grudges, hate, disdain. 
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.Hold fast to your first love. Keep that love and respect sacred, between you and your spouse, and the Lord.
8. Thou shalt not steal.Respect  others and the blessings God has given them. Love them for who they are, not what they have.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.Tell the truth and seek not to bring others down because of their sins and mistakes. Love everyone, respect their choices, hold to the true word of God, and judge in righteousness. To use one of my new favorite phrases, quoted by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the April General Conference of this year: "Don't judge [your neighbor] because [they] sin differently than you." 
10. Thou shalt not covet.(see the Commandment 8)
After last night, I refer to these Commandments as the Ten Commandments of Love.
The highest and greatest Commandment of all:"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
And the second, like unto the first:"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
(Matthew 22:37-39)
Love is a verb; and action word. It is not merely a feeling that stirs in our hearts, but more so the act of respecting, honoring, caring for, serving, reaching out, praying for, comforting, nurturing. Love is the greatest characteristic and attitude of a true disciple of Christ.
To spell it out plainly, love is the act of smiling at strangers at the grocery store; writing a short note to that girl you just met, and want to get to know better; hugging that woman who is unusually quiet, who just looks like she needs a friend; making dinner for that young mother in your neighborhood; washing the dishes for your parents without being told to do so; taking the time to pray with that brother, sister, son, or daughter; teaching that child a simple Gospel principle; changing that messy diaper, even though you've done so four times already today; speaking your gratitude for that lesson in Church; forgiving those who wrong us, even when they do so repeatedly; bearing children and raising a family; studying the word of God; and, as has been exhibited to me while writing this today, with constant interruptions ;) . . . love is patience - being willing to put your desires on hold for a time in order to help someone else, or someone elses. All of these things are love, and there are countless more ways to show your love.
"And charity [the Pure Love of Christ] suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,endureth all things."
"[F]or charity never faileth." Charity will always result in goodness; charity will never be out-of-date; charity will always triumph over evil; charity is ever-constant.
I am by no means a perfect example of love, and neither is anyone but God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, (and this isn't doctrine, but I'm fairly certain Heavenly Mother is as well). I try, I fail, I try again, I fail again. But as an imperfect young woman, I would like to challenge whoever reads this to change one thing in their lives, just one thing, that isn't an expression of love, and turn it into just a small expression of the Pure Love of Christ. Try this for just three days, and come back and tell me, and others, what good that change brought into your life. 
I testify to you, my brothers and sisters, that Christ, the Son of God, lives. He loves us perfectly. His love knows no bounds. He is there for us, as our Best Friend. He guides us. He also loves every person around us, and desires that we share the love that He gives to us, with His other children. Forgive and forget. Life is too short to hold grudges, to fight constantly, to hold disdain toward others. (I am speaking to myself just as much as I am to those of you reading this.) Love one another. All Commandments are centered on that word. It is a simple thing, though by no means easy. But as we work hard to show love, we are blessed, others are blessed, and how great our joy will be when we return to God our Father again.
For charity never faileth.
I say this humbly in the name of my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.