God's Gift of Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.  Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.  At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 13

For many people this scripture passage brings very happy memories.  Perhaps a wedding of a family member, a celebration of a special event or just a scripture that has become a favorite.  For me this is truly one of my most favorite scriptures and I always enjoy reading it after Christmas.  At Christmas we celebrate the greatest gift of love of all time – the coming of Christ to each one of us.  The wrapping paper and gifts, the luscious meals and participating in time honored family traditions are over.  There is however one thing that last and that is the gift of God’s love given to every single human being.  God’s infinite love is a true gift for us and we need to keep unwrapping that gift in our daily living.  The love that our God has for us is boundless and we need to cherish that gift and let it grow in the days and months ahead.  May we always know the love of God in our minds, hearts and actions.

Pat Schifini, OSU