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. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. —I Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)
The question that is in my title was a recent question asked by a recent mother that was a momma to be in our house. I paused a minute or two or more before I replied: Well, first of all I would advise you to pray for the man that God has for you. Little Momma looked at me with a face full of question. Little Momma said with some disgust in her voice, I am not sure I can wait for God. Wow! This answer rocked my world. I was not surprised by this answer but she was so sincere with her answer.
We had been watching several movies (Selenia, The Secret Life of the Bees and Letters to Juliet) that showed the woman or girl star of the movie finding her true love including that "touching kiss" that all movies show. The typical movie that leads us all as young teenagers to believe that this is the true love we are all searching for thru our teenage and young adult lives. For those that have not been raised in a Christian home have not idea about the above verse. They have no true meaning in their lives of Christian love. The love that is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs. But this love always: protects, trusts, perseveres and NEVER fails.
Many of the girls I know have had no one to protect them, no one that they can trust their life with, they do not know what the word perseveres means much less have had it in their life nor have they ever had anyone that was always there for them in the word of Love so love has always been a failure in their life. So if they have had none of these descriptions of Love then that also means that they have never developed the meaning of love: being patient, kind, no envy, to not boast, to not be proud, not be rude, not self-seeking, not easily answered, no records of wrongs. I have personally seen all of these definitions of love in each of my girls but more in the way of not having them in their personal life! In other words not being patient, they are envious of each other and others that seem to have more, they love to boast of what they really do not have, they can be rude but only because that is what they have been taught in life, they are self seeking only for themselves, anger is a huge problem within their live and they keep records of everyone that has done them wrong! This is what I have been working with them by showing them thru our lives what love is....not what love is not!
But now that I have this new question proposed to me thru what seems total innocence only because she only knows what she has been taught: To love is to look at the outside not at the heart. This is a huge thing that I see that needs to be taught just as I taught my own children while they were growing up. Now the question is where to begin. My first teaching would to use the following verse:
But the LORD said to Samuel, “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” —I Samuel 16:7b (NIV)
I am in search of books, short stories and personal testimonies of women that have waited for God to show them their husband, that have prayed for what seemed to be forever till God showed you the man he had for you, or just how to share with a young teenager that has chose to have sex before marriage but wants to know what God would want for her to do in her life.
So, how about it, does anyone out there have something about the love in 1 Corinthians: 13: 4-8a that they can share with me so I can share with little momma and future little mommas to come?
Susan
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