I had to memorize 1 Corinthians 13 in elementary school.  Memorizing scripture was part of the curriculum at our private Christian school.  As an adult I am so thankful for this because those verses are tucked away and brought to mind whenever I need them.  As I child I did not mind memorizing the verses, it was an easy way to get a good grade.  For thirteen years of my life I was taught the Bible six days a week by some well intentioned, caring individuals. I want it to be clear that I had a lot of respect for them because what I’m about to say next is not their fault, it was mine.

I was really good at memorizing scripture, but I did not know what it meant to actually live out what I was memorizing.  The Bible was just another text book to help me get good grades.  My spiritual life was a checklist of do’s and don’t’s and not about cultivating a vibrant relationship with Jesus.  When life would fall apart I knew that my foundation was Jesus, but when life was fine it was like I was just did what I needed to do to play the part.  I hope that makes sense.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says,

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not 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 may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

College was a rude awakening for the this girl.  I went to a small public college, close to home, but stayed in the dorms.  I had the idea that most people would hate me because I was a Christian, but I found that most people did not actually care.  I had one professor that gave me a hard time, but ultimately respected the way I could communicate my beliefs, so while her class was difficult I did not feel persecuted for my faith.  Dorm life was a little more complicated.  Living with people is always hard, but I made really good friends on our floor.  We were a little family from different places and different faiths.  We had so much fun and I learned so much from my friends, however, sometimes my mouth would get me in trouble.  I can have a quick wit and a sharp tongue.  Sometimes the things I say are not thought out.  When those words come out they often do not represent my faith well.  They are not loving.  I lost some friends because of this and my freshman year ended in a difficult fashion.

I thought a lot about life that first summer of college.  What went wrong?  How did things get where they were?  For me, the answer came in 1 Corinthians 13.  I didn’t have love.  I professed to be a Christian.  I could do all the Christian things, but if I did them without love, they were meaningless.  I learned the hard way that love needs to be infused in everything.

I have come a long way from that punk kid in college, but I still need to remember to love in all circumstances.  Love changes the way I parent.  Love changes my relationships.  Love changes my marriage.  Actions without love are just actions and love does not always take the form you think it should.  Sometimes love is setting up difficult boundaries.  Sometimes love is saying no to someone even when they really want the answer to be yes.  Sometimes love is taking a backseat and sometimes it propels you to the spotlight.  Sometimes love is a difficult conversation and sometimes love is choosing to love even when you don’t agree with the other person.

The rest of college went a bit better than when it started, but I am thankful for the lesson of love I learned.  I am not perfect (please don’t ask my kids for examples), but I have made progress.  I am dumbfounded by the power of love and how just a small amount of love can go a long way.  Our world is in desperate need of love.  Who can you love today?