September 24, 2013

This morning in prayer, I couldn't help but become geeked as I reminisced over my life and how God has blessed me with amazing friendships outside of my immediate family. Three, to be exact. I wasn't very pleased with myself growing up. I had been through enough emotional trauma by the age of twelve. During the latter years of my teenager-hood, I met three people who have stuck by me through thick and thin and gave me some space to find out what potential God put in me.

I thank Jesus so much for them and that they allowed Him to love me through them! I was so happy this morning I told them so and I cried at the end of the texting. It's just so beautiful! Sniffing around for a scripture that could match their impact on me, I found another blog post in which the writer shared how replacing the word "love" in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 with his name gave him a paradigm shift. Well, by substituting the names of my dear friends with "love," I can describe perfectly how God loves me through them.

My friends are patient and kind. They are not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. They do not demand their own way. They're not irritable, and none of them keep any record of being wronged. My friends do not rejoice about injustice but rejoice whenever the truth wins out. They never give up, never lose faith, are always hopeful, and endure through every circumstance. (Adopted from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT)

Now only one thing remains to be determined: is this how people describe me? Am I living the love of Jesus Christ in an unmistakable manner? If so, how can I become better? If not, I better do something about it quick-fast-and in a hurry!

You see, no matter who they are or what's their status, people hurt and only love can heal. God is love. Loving people is essentially introducing the Hurt to the Healer. You can do so much good for the people around you by putting your name (or "I," to create a mission statement) in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and abiding by it. Maybe, one day, you'll get a text or a letter or a phone call from someone who, in tears of unspeakable joy, will say, "Thank you so much for letting God love me through you!"