If this season we find ourselves in is anything; it is certainly an opportunity to extend kindness and grace. To those in our lives who deserve it as well as those who do not. It is always easy to love the loveable, the ones who appreciate you and all that you do. Then there is the rest of them and we all have “them” in our lives.
When I think about the test of how loving I really am, I consider how I behave when I am tired. It is a lot harder to be patient, kind, and generous when we are worn out. There is a time when staying home and reading a book is better for everyone!
Then there is the time you are standing in a long line at the store with your purchases. I am not a great shopper. I take my list and go through it as fast as I can. Who has not had someone jump the line? How we respond is a good indication of how we are doing.
Driving, if you live in Toronto anyway, is another great indicator. How many times you can be cut off in a twenty-minute drive is remarkable. It provides me with many opportunities to forgive.
I read 1 Corinthians 13;4-6 from the Passion Translation. It was really beautiful. I think it has much to reflect upon for us as we get ready to celebrate Christ’s birth and time with family and friends. If we could apply daily all that this passage says, we would have a fabulous holiday! No regrets over how we treated people.
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 TPT: “Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celbrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. “
God is the Author of love and the source we can draw from when we find our well low. May God fill your cup and mine to overflowing. We can never have too much love!