“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”(John 13:34-35)
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
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. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, [adult] I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13)
There is much said about love. But, what do I understand about this love as penned by the Apostle Paul. Not sure just how much he really knew at the time of his writing from his ending of his beautiful words. You might be asking why would I have a thought like that since it’s from the revered Apostle Paul?
My reason was how he left us thinking; “now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” And, then he double stamps my thinking with; “faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
I’m left staring in a dimly lite mirror at my self and maybe my view of myself might be a little brighter light if I put my glasses on. Standing in this frame where do I find love and define love?
I thought about my pendant above. I have just celebrated a Birthday with lots of joy and happiness flowing from family and friends as they lavished me with wishes and gifts. I felt and feel very blessed to be having a birthday and seen and loved by many lovely ones.
I received in the mail this photo pendant wrapped in beauty, and a hand painted card just for me by the artist being the giver. As well as words of beauty and encouragement penned by the giver.
Just a tiny back story about the giver and myself. We have known one another for over 50 years. The first half of the 50 living in the same city and surrounded my daily connections. Lots of wonderful memories from those days. Then in the midst of living life we were going in different directions as well as locations. Time past and we would still hear about one another from time to time. Then one day a couple of years ago we were in touch again by phone but mostly internet. This was truly a nice gift to share moments of encouragement with one another again. We have grow children with the title Grandma thrown in.
She recently suffered some serious health issues and with age it made it a bit more difficult for her. Yet, and this being that, YET! Love was light! I was struggling to find ways I could be of help to her as she lived alone. It would not be easy to get to her because of distance. As I was searching to find ways to help I received a package in the mail from her with a personal card. It was a week before my Birthday. I was stunned how did she get to the PO to get this mailed? My email had a tracking number with her message, “I got to the PO in this hot heat and now home.” You can imagine my thoughts, how did she do this and why did she do it when I understood she was hardly able to get out of bed.
She had purchased this a few months before from a special store in Amsterdam where she had visited on one of her trips. She had worked with an artist there to make sure it was right for me and to show what my life has meant to her, and her being an artist, wanted to express her love through art of a beautiful flower. My emotions seem to be like a ship at sea with high winds. I had no idea that she would be thinking of me like this. She wrote;
“A living flower Pendant is not meant to open since a real flower was sealed into it.”
Paul’s words began to have new meaning for me. “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”
Psalm 90:17 ESV
Notes for this verse. Psalm 90:17 “is a prayer asking for God’s grace and approval to bring lasting value to human efforts. It acts as a reminder that without God’s blessing, our labor is temporary and in vain, but with His favor, our everyday work gains eternal purpose and stability.”
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman
Love is LIGHT! God said, let there be light and there was light!
thedailylily.com 