Sunday Morning Musings: I’ve seen so much anger around me this week, and I’ve felt some of it as well.
I’ve seen people divided by political views, cultural expectations, racial prejudices, family biases, assumptions, big “J” judgements, poor driving habits, food choices, shopping preferences, etc. I usually try to keep my head out of that fear and hate filled space, but I found myself feeling offended by someone’s offering of COMFORT to me, when the kids were in the car crash, because their wording felt diminishing to the pain I was experiencing. It hurt me in the moment that I was needing comfort and understanding. I didn’t respond to the offense but the damage of it was already in my heart and it took me a few hours to work my way around it.
When I did finally get to that better mental space I turned to 1 Corinthians 13, the “faith, hope, and charity” scripture. It’s probably the best descriptor of how to manage interpersonal relationships ever written. I realized that I need to keep working on that “is not easily provoked” part. And I felt comforted that God understands how it feels to be provoked but still reminds me that the only person I can control is myself. Then I found myself spending more time on the last few verses.
If ever there was a verse of scripture that described what we need in our hearts, homes, communities, and national discourse, these words are they. I’m going to share the scripture, with some abbreviated thoughts I’ve had about them in parentheses.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (Everything we think we know that pertains to mortality is as fleeting as mortality itself. So have charity. )
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (We have instructions for our portion, those are the things we’re supposed to be working on and mastering, and the craving to know more can strengthen our learning…or push our pride into believing there is nothing else to know. This is what I call a “scientist” verse in the scriptures. The kind of scripture that embraces our limitations and inspires continued growth and learning.)
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. (This is what we experience every year in the garden. It’s what I discuss in my book, Walking My Father’s Fields, in the Chapter titled “Cider Press”. The “part” that is done away is not bad or unimportant, it’s simply a step on the path to perfection. An apple is good on its own, but a good apple is destroyed in order to make cider. It was only cider in “part”. A seed is “part” of a fully grown plant, and that necessary part is done away during the perfecting process of the tomato plant’s growth. There are things in our lives that are “part” of growth, but not the destination point God has in mind for us. If we’re unwilling to give up the “part”, how will we ever become “whole”? We must be willing to embrace change.)
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (Spiritual growth and maturation demands that we put away a childish spirituality. NOT childlike, there are plenty of scriptures that discuss childlike faith, humility, and teachability. Childish things are lack of accountability, inability to shoulder heavier burdens, thinking of one’s self before others, etc. Those “unlearned” aspects of childishness, the things we tolerate in a child as we are teaching them, must be put away if we desire spiritual maturity.)
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (This has been one of my favorite scriptures for years. A “darkened glass” provides what any darkened glass does: a reflection. This scripture explains that we look at the world through a mirror. We don’t see things as they really are. We see things as WE really are. This is why 10, 1000, or 1 million people can see the same event yet all experience it differently. Spiritual maturity is all about setting aside the mirror and looking at the world as it is. It is looking at another person and recognizing THEIR experience and not only our own experience through their words and actions. This level of spiritual maturity requires charity in abundance. We truly can’t be “seeking our own” if we’re trying to seek understanding of someone else.)
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (Here is the crux of the lesson for me: we only know a small part of God’s story; we need to work on our part, which demands mastery of the self and a willingness to accept responsibility for ourselves; we need to understand that other people experience the world differently than we do and we can learn to see them as they are, not only as WE are; and the thing that will help us accomplish this is charity. A spiritual gift we can ask for, work on, practice, and grow just like a muscle.)
I love this scripture. There is such compassion and guidance in it. I think my favorite explanation of charity is this: to give without feeling better than and to receive without feeling less than. Charity is the ability to find true communion with another soul.
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#sundaymorningmusings #HearHim #sabbathday #scripturestudy #charityneverfaileth
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