My husband and I are in the business of investment properties. We deal with commercial and residential, so clean up at a property is “old hat” to us. When recently confronted with a need for work at another owner’s property for a resident we know well and dearly love, we volunteered wholeheartedly.
We were preparing the property for greater accessibility, necessitated by the resident’s mobility issues. We worked on this property more hours than I can possibly account for because we worked on-site, in our minds, and addressing unforeseen issues revealed while working.
This project mandated I physically get into the nooks, crannies, and dark spaces, behind, above, and beneath areas which have not seen the light of day in many years. I handled items which had not been touched in a long time. My mind began to imagine these layers of crust could be carbon dated and found to be the actual dust which accumulated on Mt. Ararat when Noah parked the ark.
While in full swing of the project I encountered evidence of rodents, tripped traps, remains of fuzzy gray carcasses, arachnid art (arachnid art equals live spiders nearby), and dust bunnies that actually hopped!
By the way, did mice come with the ark? Were there more than two, because what I found …
Sorry, I ran down the mouse hole.
Doing all this moving, kneeling, crouching, reaching, and stretching made me more aware than ever I am neither as young nor in shape as I would like to be. Amazingly, as I have ascended the peak of these middle years and will, all-too-soon, be descending from its summit, I still wear the same size clothes I have worn for many years, in fact, most of my adult life. Interestingly, they do not look the same on me. Let’s just say, I have increased my sphere of influence (Insert eye roll & disgust).
While I may have exaggerated ever-so-slightly the plight of this incident, my testimony to life-truths is genuine.
Getting the most out of life is a result of giving the most we can give. We do this by valuing each person we encounter.
Although we may think we are aware of a person’s capabilities in handling their current situation, we could be mistaken. We might only be observing the surface. We need to give attention to the layers, the details. People may not be ready to ask for assistance but would accept it if offered. Our role is to recognize their value, and offer.
Love is heart attitude in action.
This experience both affirmed and confirmed the truth about love. In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul emphasized what Christian love is, what it is not, and that any action not motivated by Christian love is wasted.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. (1Cor.13:1-7 NIV)
God’s love, which Paul is speaking about, is shown to us through Jesus Christ and manifested in us by His indwelling Holy Spirit.
Possessing Christ’s love compels us to carry out tasks we never thought possible.
Love reconciles us to work with uncomfortable assignments. Love is not about how we feel. Love is about our behavior. Love takes action to improve a situation. Love is a call to move in the face of daunting circumstances. Love is not about ourselves and the reward we receive for showing and expressing it. Love is a positive pusher, a dogged driver toward something much bigger than ourselves.
When we practice love in the way of Christ, then, as Paul said, “Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:8)
