Love Keeps Going To The End by Ruth L. Snyder

 I am very familiar with the "love chapter" - I Corinthians 13. I've heard sermons about it, I've read it, and I've also memorized it. Do I live by it?

Most people see me as a very patient person. I have a confession to make. Sometimes I'm VERY impatient, especially with my children. It's easy to "love" my children when they are obedient. Who doesn't appreciate a child who is helpful, does what you say, and tells you he or she loves you? Sometimes my children are like that, but often they are not. What happens when I've told my child to pick up her toys and she looks at me and stomps her foot? What about a son who chooses to eat cookies half an hour before supper, even though I told him to wait? How do I deal with a child who uses urine and feces to "get even" with me?

1 Corinthians 13 tells me that love NEVER fails. Love keeps going to the end. Obviously, my human love DOES fail. I run out of steam. I get frustrated and angry. I feel upset. I don't feel like hugging my child and telling him I love him. I don't feel like being consistent. I don't feel like staying calm.

That's where God's love steps in - true love that never ends. Love is a choice, not a feeling. I may feel upset that my daughter is refusing to clean up, but I can firmly remind her what's expected and count down to encourage her to be obedient. I may feel frustrated that my son ate the cookies, but I can repeat what I expect and give him a logical consequence - no dessert. I may feel angry that my son has soiled himself, the second time today, but I can choose to quietly tell him to have a bath and clean his clothes. Along with being consistent and responding appropriately, I can choose to tell my child I love him or her.

I want my children to grow up knowing that I love them. I want them to know that no matter what they do, or what they say, I will always love them. God does not base His love for us on our obedience, so neither should I. There may be tears. I may have to give myself a time-out. I will definitely have to choose to forgive. But in the end, with God's help, I will choose to love my children to the end.

What about you? Which one of the characteristics of love do you struggle with and how are you allowing God to change you?

Check out more of Ruth's writing at http://ruthlsnyder.com

Your Secret Admirer– by Ramona Heikel

I love the tradition of giving Valentines, and was delighted in elementary school when we celebrated Valentine’s Day. What a sweet way of confirming your special friendship and love to particular people in your class. It was so exciting to know that a classmate liked you well enough to make you a red construction-paper heart—maybe even adding a white lace doily—with their handwritten message on the back. Of course, since it was heartbreaking for some students to receive fewer cards than most (or no cards), compassionate teachers started requiring that you gave a Valentine to everyone. But even then, you could reserve your biggest or best Valentine for your favorite friends.

Then came the idea of signing the card as “Your Secret Admirer”. Ooh, how exciting! If someone didn’t want to sign their name, they surely must have extra-strong feelings of love that went beyond friendship. I remember how disappointed I was when Bruce, a boy I had a crush on, signed his name “From Bruce” on his valentine to me. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad to get an unforced store-bought card from him, because at least he considered me one of his many friends. But if I’d gotten a card from a Secret Admirer, I would have hoped that it had been from Bruce, and been thrilled at the possibility that I was significant to him.

Lately I have been noticing in the Old Testament how deep and constant God’s love is for the nation of Israel, no matter how often they ignore and reject him. I am reminded that there was a time that I wasn’t aware of God or his love. I was fifteen when I heard the message that God loved me. Before that, I believed that God loved “the world” as one big round object, with all of our faces blurred, and him not knowing or caring what our names were. This new revelation, that the far away creator of the universe knew me, and wanted me to know him personally, changed everything.

As I got older I began to see how even before I was aware of him, he was giving me gifts, Valentines signed “Your Secret Admirer”. One example of his gifts is my best friend, who I got to know in fourth grade. From then on, she has been my constant, loyal friend, and I now realize she was also my assurance that I was loved, and lovable through many confusing, bleak years. It wasn’t until tenth grade that we both heard the gospel at a high school Campus Life meeting and put our faith in Jesus. Yet during all those previous years, God was giving us little Valentine reminders of his desire to walk with us.

You have a secret admirer, too. And if he’s not so secret and you already know who he is, do you realize that he is your admirer, your friend who loves you constantly? Or do you feel, like I did, that you’re just a nameless, faceless, insignificant part of a big world that God loves? Or that his favorite hobby is catching you failing and sinning? Consider how God spoke about his admiration of Job in Job 1:8; think about the individualized “whoever” in John 3:16; look at his longing to always be with us wherever he is, in John 14:1-3; and read the scriptures that talk about his love, how he first loved us, in 1 John 4:7-19.


(These are Valentines from Bruce and another friend Katie from my grade school scrapbook.)


Posted by Ramona
www.happilywriting.com

 

Why Didn't I Think of That? by Glynis M. Belec

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal...

So what You are saying, Lord, is that you are not interested in my highfalutin fancy speaking ways?  All that does is draw attention to me and takes the glory away from You? What a dope I am. All I have to do is be still and think. I have to stop looking in the mirror less and start looking at Your Word more. Laying a foundation of love is the beginning. It creates harmony and dulls the clanging. Why didn't I think of that? 

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 

I thought if I studied hard and learned all about the cool stuff, helped crack the code on the mysteries of the faith and showed everyone how brilliant my faith is, then You would like that. But You say - no. You would rather I appreciate, emulate and disseminate the love you have placed in my heart. So in other words, God, You are telling me to stop talking about it and go help my neighbour? Why didn't I think of that?

If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

So downsizing, getting rid of all my dust collectors and going on mission trips because I think it is a good thing to do is not gonna' get me any brownie points, You say, God? I can talk a good talk and impress everyone with my great sacrifices all I want, but really, it's all about the motivation of my heart. Is it about me or is it about Thee? Thanks for making me think, Lord.

Love is patient; 

Forgive me for the last time I prayed in earnest about that article getting accepted and then was slightly ticked off because I didn't get my way.

Love is kind; 

So what if I was going to be thrown off my precious schedule? I should have stopped in that day to see her. I tried to justify my unkind behaviour. But You reminded me.

Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 

Why do I feel the need to tell someone that I 'did good.' The main thing is that You know that I 'did good.' If I am bragging, I'm not loving anyone else except myself and that isn't what You've been teaching me lately, is it, Lord? I'm a slow learner, but I am starting to get it. 

It does not insist on its own way; 

I'm starting to see why you don't always answer my prayers in the way I initially thought that You should answer them. I'm trying to get my head around that. 

It [love] is not irritable or resentful;

Lord that is a tough one especially when I see other Christians getting a better deal than You give me. Or when I see fellow writers getting a break and I don't. I want to write full time but there are obstacles. I sometimes get grumpy because I want something different.  I'm working on that, too, Lord. 

It [love] does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 

No matter what the world says, I need to test it all with Your amazing Word. That's where I will find the truth. Love grows when I speak truth. That cliché, 'love will set you free' is actually pretty wise when I think about what it means to be free in Christ. 

It [love] bears all things, 

When I was sick I thought I couldn't make it - then you sent all sorts of people to love on me. I made it. 

[Love] believes all things, 

This doesn't mean I need to be a sucker for false preachers or prowling lions. right, God? I believe because I have faith. I believe in You, God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in You, Jesus Christ. You were conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

[Love] hopes all things, 

I find that when that man you blessed me with almost 36 years ago, and I talk civilly and respectfully to one another our hope meters coordinate. Because we hope together; because we love each other; because we remember that Your love is what has kept our heads above water - hope floats. 

[Love] endures all things.

Remember those times I wanted to give up? Your promise to never leave me nor forsake me helped me to endure.  I was thankful for the kindness of some very good friends. Through them, You pressed upon my heart to find ways to pay it forward. So I did and again, it took the focus of me, and made me wish I would have thought of that idea. It's priceless - just like your enduring love for me! 

Love never ends.

Sometimes people call me a drama queen. I've been accused of being like the Energizer Bunny who keeps going and going and going. But I'm noticing lately that my body can't do the things my brain would like it to do - the mind is willing but the flesh is weak? My life is going to end one day - did I mention, Lord, that I am in no hurry for that to happen, but the good thing is, I know you love will never run out of batteries. 

But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

My chatter will one day cease. But your love for me will not. That gives me a good reason to rise and shine each morning. 

 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three

When I get up tomorrow morning, I'm going to think about choices. I can moan and complain or I can dance with joy. Oh, God, you know I can find plenty to moan about but I know You are teaching me some great faith lessons here so I am going to opt for door number 2 and I am going to do my very best to show that abiding love to whomever I encounter in my day.  

And the greatest of these is LOVE.

For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life John 3:16

Thanks, God, for the reminder and for the love letter...

InScribers Review: Heaven's Prey (Janet Sketchley)

 

 Book Review by Bonnie Way

 

Heaven's Prey
Author: Janet Sketchley
Publisher: Choose Now Publishing, 2013

One of the topics of my recent fiction class was the "occasion" or "destination" of a novel and how to keep the reader reading if they know what's going to happen. As I read Janet Sketchley’s novel Heaven’s Prey, I thought she illustrated this perfectly. We know the novel is about redemptions—presumably Ruth’s physical redemption and Harry’s spiritual redemption—but we read to find out how that happens. How does Ruth survive being kidnapped by a serial rapist? How does a guy as dark as Harry move toward redemption?

Ruth is an ordinary middle-aged woman living in Nova Scotia who has been praying for Harry Silver since he kidnapped, raped and murdered her niece. Prayer has helped her find healing, but it has also caused a rift with those around her—including her husband—who don’t understand how she can pray for a murderer. She’s on her way home from her weekly prayer meeting when she runs into Silver himself. Now, all her faith is put to the test as Harry kidnaps her and plans to make her his last victim…

I appreciated the fact that, even when Janet was writing about Harry’s crimes, she never made it graphic. We are given enough detail to know what happened but not so much that the crime is sensationalized. Yet these scenes never felt like the author was intruding by withholding information. Ruth talks about reading crime reports, about the horror she experienced in learning about Harry’s crimes, and her fear and disgust towards him gives the reader a bigger picture of Harry. At the same time, Ruth’s faith allows her to see Harry in another light.

Janet’s novel reminds us that even those we hate and despise are still human—and still loved by God. Harry is truly dark and despicable at the beginning of the novel, but Janet slowly takes us into his past, into the pain of his childhood, his pornography addiction, and his racing career, and we see the path that led him into darkness. It doesn’t excuse his crimes, but it helps us to understand him. I think it takes a truly skilled writer to make Harry neither so evil that he’s past redemption, nor so redeemable that we don’t believe he could have raped and murdered nine women.

To get a taste of the story, you can check out the Heaven’s Prey Blog Chase. At each stop in the chase, you’ll get a short “prequel” of the novel, some insight into what happened before Ruth encounters Harry. You can also drop by Janet’s website to read interviews with the characters and with Janet.

Janet Sketchley is a long-time member of Inscribe Christian Writer’s Fellowship; she served as acquisitions editor of FellowScript and wrote the fiction column for many years. She is passionate about fiction, but also has a nonfiction story in the award-winning anthology A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. She calls herself “a Christian growing in faith, trying to balance relationships and responsibilities.” She is currently working on the second book in her Redemption’s Edge series.