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This window, as with others I've posted for the past few Sundays, is located in the balcony of our church, in a rather out-of-sight spot. I crawled under the bell choir table and lay on the floor to get a straight-on shot of this part of the window.Always, always, always.......here's something to keep in mind (and I say that to myself first of all):
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophecies, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."
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***** I Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 & 2 *****
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How does one "have love", as stated in the verse above? Or what is love, even? I often wonder that. Mostly, love seems to be a caring which prompts us to take action in some way, such as when we do a kind deed for someone.
Or do we do kind deeds out of a feeling of responsibility? Maybe that's what love does to us........allows us to feel responsible for the welfare of people around us.
I Corinthians 13 states that we can have wonderful attributes.......incredibly, even faith!......without having love.......and that combination adds up to zero in God's ledger.
I'm not entirely sure I can describe what love feels like, which makes me wonder sometimes if do love anybody. Possibly a sounding brass or clanging cymbal is what I truly am. Mostly, I resort to asking God to help me "have love", whatever exactly that may mean to Him.
Then again, maybe St. Paul was simply saying we need to put our actions where our mouth is. That you can talk or preach until you're blue in the face, have knowledge piled high in your brain, and a wonder-working level of faith, but if you never make a move to be kind and helpful to people, then you, your words, your knowledge, and your faith mean nothing.
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9 comments:
I remember praying, "God, help me have love for [that person]," and you know what? That kind of prayer doesn't work. Here's a prayer that works: "God, You know everything and You know that I don't love [that person] right now because of [x, y, and z], and I don't really think I ever will love [that person]. Lord, I don't even want to love [that person], but would You please do something miraculous? Would You love [that person] through me? That way, when the love actually starts flowing from me toward [that person], I'll realize and understand that You are answering my prayer. Thank you God, in Jesus' mighty Name I pray, Amen."
Today in church we were talking about seeing God's grace extended through us so that others might know Him. Someone brought up the point that grace is synonymous with reflection. So that means when we accept his love and grace and share it with others, we are really simply reflecting Christ.
It made much more sense a few hours ago when someone else said it :)
rhymeswithplague and caution,
Thank you for your very good comments!
The idea of God working, shining, reflecting through us is liberating, in a way. I honestly never hear this preached about in my church, and did St. Paul even emphasize it?
Like the stained-glass window needs the sunlight shining through it for the design to be seen, we need God shining through us.
Thoughtful post, Jeannelle. And, thanks for sharing the stained glass with us. It's remarkable, I think, how glass holds its color for many years. I've seen stained glass that was over 500 years old, and the colors are so bright it looks like it was made yesterday.
By the way, have you (or other readers here) heard anything from Twinville (Laughing Orca Ranch) since she reported the fire? I am praying that she, the family and their animals are safe.
The window is beautiful.
I'm not sure love really has much to do with how I feel about someone. A lot of what passes for love in our world is really very possessive and focused on meeting the needs of the person who feels the "love." Instead I think love is a combination of attitude and action. I was going to type "If we choose to act for the other person's good, that's love," but that sounds so parental and that's not what I mean at all.
Let me give an example. Someone at my church whom I don't like very much started to unburden himself at coffee hour today. His sister was murdered about a week ago. I wanted nothing more than to get away because the topic was distressing and because this man is a long-winded bore. But I talked to him for ten minutes. I think I loved him by doing that, even though I feel very little warmth toward him, because I was thinking about what he needed, not what I wanted.
I don't know. It's a difficult subject. I'm glad you brought it up.
I'm glad Ruth said what she did, because The Golden Rule is NOT "Feel unto others as you would have them feel unto you!" It's DO unto others. Love is something you DO. Sacrificial love is something you do when you'd really rather not. Like being nailed to a cross.
Thank you all for the insightful, thoughtful comments.
First let me say.....Pat, you're right, it IS amazing how stained glass can hold its color for centuries! (Also, all I know of the fire mentioned on Laughing Orca blog is what's on the most recent post and comments. I pray the fires have been brought under control.)
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Ruth,
I like what you wrote about love not being dependent on how we "feel" about someone. Your experience at church today is a prime example. Thank you for honestly sharing that here.....it brings some loose ends together concerning this subject. You acted by being attentive and listening, and though you admitted feeling little warmth toward the man, your actions toward him reflected God's concern, and most likely were very uplifting for the man during his time of sorrow. You put your self aside and focused on another.......as rhymeswithplague pointed out....doing something you would rather not do, as in Christ's giving of Himself on the Cross.
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Once again, thank you all for the great comments, which are going to renew my outlook on what "love" really means.
Lovely post Jeannelle. I think that thinking of love as God experiencing through us is helpful. Remembering that God is waiting inside to experience life through us, helps me to avoid those bad thoughts and bad actions, because then I know that God has retreated and is simply watching silently. I feel ashamed them, and try to reconnect. Love is the essence of happiness to me.
Hi, Sherry!
That's a profound and startling thought, that God experiences life through us.....that ought to be enough to make us shape up in word and deed!
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