“And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
I read this verse this morning and thought, Whew! I’m so glad that love trumps faith and hope. Why? Because these days, I have so little of “these three,” especially of the first two.
I blame my mother (just kidding!). My mother, a 29-year cancer survivor, exudes faith and hope. Even as she calls hospice, she proclaims that God will heal her. She has faith in her Heavenly Father. She has hope in her doctors.
Me? I love her. I really do. I love God, too. And, well, that’s about it. My faith is frail. My hope, a has-been.
I don’t often love very well, either. But right now, it’s all I have. As Rich Mullins once sang, “We have a love that’s not as patient as Yours was, but still we do love now and then.”
That’s me. Loving now and then.
St. Paul said, “the greatest of these is love.” It’s not often I feel comforted by Paul’s words, but today, I do. Jesus shortened the law down to two commandments, and they both start with the word “love.”
Love God. Love your mother.
OK.