Love's Divine

So, a couple of administrative things to get out of the way. We have some winners from last post's game. I've decided to honor the first blog commenter and the first Facebook commenter who had the right answer. Last weeks title - Dogmatic for the People - was, of course, a play on REM's Automatic for the People. This means that Sally Anne, you'll have something crafty delivered to your class room later this week, and TheResearcher, such a mysterious handle by the way, you'll need to email me (you can do this by clicking on my profile and an email option will be there) your name and address, so you can get your awesome crafty gift in the mail! Yay, wieners!

This brings us back to my previous angst regarding 1 Corinthians 13. Remember I was convinced it was dogma due to the unenthusiastic response of a former VBS teacher. Apart from the derision of others, the only other thing I heard (and remembered) about this passage was rather defeating. The pastor suggested that you take out the word love and replace it with your name, ya know, just to see how you measure up. Let's play the game right now, shall we? (Just as a heads up, I'm using The Message translation because it fits in nicely with this activity.)

Sarah never gives up. (only when it's easy)
Sarah cares more for others than for self. (I'd say 50/50)

Sarah doesn't want what it doesn't have. (um . . . macbook, iphone, dslr, Colin Firth or Richard Armitage depending . . . )
Sarah doesn't strut, (only because I'm clumsy)
Sarah doesn't have a swelled head, (usually)
Sarah doesn't force herself on others, (not usually)
Sarah isn't always "me first," (I LOVE being first)

Sarah doesn't fly off the handle, (hahahahahahaha, I teach middle school)
Sarah doesn't keep score of the sins of others, (then how will you know when you're even?)
Sarah doesn't revel when others grovel, (depends on what their score is)
Sarah takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, (for the most part)
Sarah puts up with anything, (again, I teach small children things)
Sarah trusts God always, (I would love to say this is true)
Sarah always looks for the best, (when I like the person)
Sarah never looks back (unless I'm afraid of the future)
But keeps going to the end. (only when the finish line is nearby)

You see where I got defeated? This is unattainable. I cannot measure up to love! I mean God is love, right? How can I be as good as He is? And the other night, this was where I stopped. God is all these things, so I did the exercise again, but instead of my name I put in God's.

God never gives up. (Not even when we want Him to)
God cares more for others than for self. (Amazing!)
God doesn't want what it doesn't have. (Because everything is His)
God doesn't strut, (He is doesn't need to show off His authority)
God doesn't have a swelled head, (Though no one deserves one more)
God doesn't force itself on others, (Even when He sees what we need most, but we won't take it because we don't think we need Him)
God isn't always "me first," (He did not come to be served but to serve)
God doesn't fly off the handle, (Even when He should, even when I push Him to it)
God doesn't keep score of the sins of others, (Not even mine)
God doesn't revel when others grovel, (He is mercy, and grace, and redemption)
God takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, (Always, He is always revealing it to us . . . to me)
God puts up with anything, (All the stupid, all the selfish, all the just plain wrong)
God trusts God always, (It's simple, He knows his own mind)
God always looks for the best, (In all of us, in me, in you, in my enemy)
God never looks back, (It cannot be changed and it is already full of His mark)
God keeps going to the end. (There is none for Him. He will go on forever, and so will we if we are in Him)

Totally changed everything. It became less a list that I would never live up to, but instead, a list of the magnificence of my Creator. A God who is all these things, a God who can put into me all these things because He dwells in me. I can have these attributes not out of effort but out of aligning myself with the Spirit. God is all these things, and because He is in me, everyday, I am becoming more of this.

Amazing! Beautiful! Astonishing! True! And all this from verses I believed, so long ago, were unworthy of my attention. All this from dogma. Turned out the dogma wasn't in the truth but in my thinking.