For Love Alone



The Committee.  I've told you he is reticent by nature. He's quiet.  He's a gentle giant.  He's a man of few words.  I could go on and on.  He comes from a long line of men who have a love for silence. His father is a quiet one, and I'm pretty sure I've heard that his father before him was a man of few words.  They all have a saying that they hold to be true, "Don't ever write anything down.  If it is important enough, you'll remember it."  For a chatter-box like me, these words are not always easy to hear or remember.

Last week in church, we welcomed a visiting minister.  He explained how important it was to write down noteworthy words or phrases.  I could see The Committee squirm out of the corner of my eye.  The minister said that the majority of the people listening, would forget what he said by Tuesday.  The pastor was well spoken and had a good message, but it wasn't his spiritual advice that echoed in my heart.  No, it was the last few lines of a Bible verse that he chose to read.  Well, I didn't write it down, but it is still rolling through my head.  So, it seems it is important enough to me to share with you.

  

1 Corinthians 16:14 ~

Let all that you do,

be done in love.

How could we go wrong if all of our actions came from the heart?  If love is driving our thoughts, actions, and words, wouldn't our soul rest easier at night? 

As a child, my grandparents on my mother's side would come down and stay with us for several days.  My grandmother had a funny sense of humor.  She always rode in the backseat with us, and she would often show things to me that I hadn't often noticed.   As we were riding down the road, she once pointed out some kudzu...an old, southern plant.  She told me that if you were to fall asleep in kudzu, it would cover you because it grows so quickly, by the time you woke up in the morning.  That was a crazy idea to me, but believe me, I didn't doubt her and never stepped close to a kudzu plant.

What if love grew like the kudzu?  Imagine a world covered so lushly by love that it would smother you.  How could we go wrong?  It would be impossible for violent events to occur.  The simplest act would make all the difference because it would be coming straight from the heart.  I can't help but think of the lyrics from the song

"Love Like Crazy"....

Be your best friend, tell the truth,

and overuse I love you
Go to work, do your best,

don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy

I'd be willing to fall asleep in that kind of world, and wake up covered any day of the week.  After the recent shootings in AZ this past weekend, I'm pretty sure our world could use a little more love and a little less hostility.  If nothing else, it might solidify the future for my children.  It might help me rest at night.  It would definitely make a difference in our world.  Written down or not, it's definitely important and hopefully will be remembered by me.