I have to learn to Love?

In 1 Corth. 13:4-7 we read: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. New Living Translation (NLT) These are the verses that affect me most as I live out my blended family life. I will be sharing several examples of how I had to choose to be more like God through the application of these verses. A family is an awesome environment to learn to love. And a blended family has a lot of issues that can complicate things even more. For one, you are dealing with several different definitions of the word family. To some children it may mean security. To another, family is temporary and they wonder when will this relationship end, and end badly. Another question that complicates things is what does the title “Dad” mean to the different children? That brings us to the first part of the scripture, “Love is patient”. Just think, how are you are going to handle each child with the “Dad” question? Are you going to ask each one "are you going to call me dad"? What does dad mean to you? Do I need to give my definition? Does it bring security to the family? Do we need to redefine the label so that it is just a name, a place holder, for the man that my mom married? Or are you going to call me dad because it means I love you as a father loves his children. I’ll continue this line of thought in my next entry.