The Lord has been teaching me a lot about love--the hard way! As I encounter different life situations, I am becoming more and more aware of how much I need God's help in order to put His love into action. 1 Corinthians 13 is a beautiful summary of the characteristics that godly love displays. The first two of these characteristics are patience and kindness. "Love is patient; love is kind..." Stop right there. That's enough of a challenge to keep me engaged in battle every day for the rest of my life! At my workplace, I am faced with constant decisions regarding whether or not I am going to put this into practice. Will I stop what I'm doing in order to listen to and help a co-worker with a question? Do I get frustrated when someone doesn't understand and/or agree with my point of view? Can I keep the annoyance out of my voice (and more importantly, out of my heart!) when I am called upon to undertake a task or tackle a problem that doesn't directly relate to me? I have to say, I fail at all of these challenges every single day! However, God is working on me. He's working IN me. He's working THROUGH me, and giving me the strength and help that I need in order to love how He loves. It is definitely a struggle, but it is one that causes me to depend on Him, and to surrender my choices to the One who lives and breathes love. For God IS love--and, praise His name, His love is flowing through me! I pray that He will continue to empty me of myself and fill me with His selfless devotion a little more each day.
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