The blog themes for this month are: February and Love. We hope you enjoy these posts!
Written by: Erika Rizkallah
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
As a former wedding planner, the words in this verse aren't new to me. In fact, in almost every wedding I've done, these words were embraced as an ideal for marriage. You may or may not know that this scripture has nothing to do with marriage. But it doesn't seem to make a difference to most people. Regardless of how we use the scripture, it remains a timeless truth.
Love IS patient.
Love IS kind.
Our focus is usually placed on those two words, because after all, we need patience and kindness when we're trying to love one another.
I'm the mother of two teenage girls and one tween boy - who thinks he's 20. Amidst the trials and suffering of raising teenagers in this world, I hang (sometimes by my fingertips) on the strength of these encouraging words.
Especially the part about not being easily angered.
If you've spent any time around this hormonally challenged people group, you know that envy, boasting, rudeness, self-seeking and score keeping is part of the game. Even the spiritually strong can get swept up in it and carried away. So far, one of my children has been carried away.
She gave up on God years ago and lives in a world of her own truth. I've never been so challenged in my faith and trust in God as I am now. I use the baptism pictures in this frame to remind me daily of his love and truth. But then...
I have to trust Him to bring my daughter back in His way and His timing.
I have to model the grace of the Lord Jesus in the way I handle His lost sheep.
I have to remember that once, I too, was lost and walking in darkness.
Loving in this way also reminds me that as I love my children equally, ultimately I'm loving myself. I'm loving my "younger self" - that girl who once so desperately sought love and truth and was found by a perfect Savior at the perfect time.
Sovereign Lord: As your children, help us remember what it feels like to be found by you. Let your joy and grace permeate every bit of our being as we seek to live with others in love. Amen.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... 1 Cor 13:7-8
Thank you, Erika. Speaking of hormones, my daughter went through puberty at the same time I was going through menopause. We survived by the Grace of God reminding me to take plenty of deep breaths. Both of my children are in their 20's and following spiritual paths which are different from what I hoped for them. It helps to remember how rebellious and agnostic I was when I was in my 20s. My parents prayed for me constantly, and I eventually found my way back. Love is powerful!
ReplyDeleteErika, God has that girl. Loved your post. Thank you. I know it will speak into the hearts of many parents. Keep on loving her. Keep on loving Him. He is faithful...trustworthy to complete what He started in your baby girl the day she was baptized.
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