Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Love.

My sister in law sent me to some Bible passages that she says she finds comforting, and I found a page I'd marked as a child when I still had a lot of belief in my heart. It's like I'd left a note for myself to find as a suffering, doubting grown-up. There was a little piece of paper in it, with my 8 year old's handwriting carefully spelling out "Love," and then pink highlighting over that sweet 1st Corinthians passage that folks always have read at weddings:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
OK, higher power. I'm humbled, and I'm listening.

10 comments:

Jen R. said...

That is a passage written by Paul on how God loves us. It is perfect love. Despite how terribly we've lived our lives, he keeps loving us that way.

(I used to think of it in terms of only love towards a significant other; however, it is how we must care for everyone as it is how God loves us)

Jen R. said...

You didn't ask, but I will offer the one Bible passage I always hung onto for my first year of sobriety. It is Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

It was through this scripture that I held on to the fact that God wants only good for us and that when I surrender to him (in 3rd step fashion) and confess to him (in 4th and 5th step fashion), he will deliver on those promises. (not because he was holding them back before but because I have let him come into my life and work his plan) I've effectively surrendered. I know that is what you are doing too! You are making such beautiful progress even if you can't see it right now.

Chloe said...

Thanks for posting that..I really needed to read that tonight...REALLY. I wish i could be enough of a woman to really take the verse to heart..I too am struggling. I am not a very good Naranon angel tonight. My sponsor would not be proud.

laurie said...

Thank you for reminding me of that beautiful passage.

Recovery Discovery (R) said...

Beautiful!!

I love how you can see the HP stuff in the midst of crisis. That's a hard one for me.

And Chloe, we're still here. Call, email, or stop by. (BTW, next Tuesday, many of us are going to an open NA Speaker meeting. It's where our significant others go. Call if you want details.) Miss ya!!

clyde said...

searchable text, all major (and plenty of minor) versions - nobody preaching, just God talking: http://www.biblegateway.com/

Mantramine said...

Oh dear, you but lump in my throat with that one

longvowels said...

love. beautiful.

Mary P Jones (MPJ) said...

I told my husband about this, because I thought it was so beautiful -- and he said that with your 8-year-old self leaving notes to the future you, maybe you're the one to solve our space time continuum problem. ;)

Namenlosen Trinker said...

I'm sorry I fell behind in my blog reading. You asked for prayers, and you certainly have mine. When I pray for people, I never know exactly what to pray for, so I use a Bible passage too:

Lord, bless JW & G and keep them; make your face shine upon them and be gracious to them; lift up your countenance upon them, and give them peace.

I don't even know you, but damn! I love you.