Love is such an amazing thing. God has been teaching me alot about how I don’t exemplify true love in my life and the areas that I need to grow in. Meeting people in different cultures definitely helps expand your realization of what love looks like. So often we grow up in one culture that helps shape and define our knowledge of love and even though we have the Bible to redefine it, our culture still has some control over the cap of our love. It’s a box and we tend to stay in it. Different cultures can blow a hole in your mindset if you let them.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
On our last ministry day, our hosts threw us a goodbye party. The evening proceeded with many of the church members sharing the impact we had made on their lives. Even without knowing the language the heartfelt love that was displayed was moving. They continued on by explaining that they wanted to fill us up and send us out. As an action of that, they washed our feet. As the pastor and his wife moved from person to person, they prayed strength and wisdom and authority into us. A member of the church stood behind each of us and prayed over us as well. Tears flowed from my eyes as the pastor gently washed my feet and prayed over me. The sacrificial act of love was the reflection of the genuine love that was inside. The pastor’s wife (pastora) came to me and spoke over me. She shared that the Lord told her that we would be good friends in the future. She prayed strength over my feet to be bold and strong.
As we were saying our goodbyes, my teammate Christina was holding onto one of our friend’s 7 year old son. We had heard before that the doctors had told his mom that due to his hyperactivity he would be part of gangs and do drugs and bad things. She said that she didn’t believe it because the Lord had told her that he was going to be a missionary. So, the seven of us surrounded him as he was still in Christina’s arms and prayed blessing and power into him as this little future missionary. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of my own call so many years ago when I was close to his age. As we continued, we prayed for his parents and family to be comforted and as he is away sharing the Love of Jesus. It made me think and pray for my own dear parents and family who raised me to send me out. The love each parent possesses and the selflessness they pour into us, to send us out for the Gospel is beautiful and inspiring. It opened my eyes more to how truly
LOVE
Bears All Things,
Believes All Things,
Hopes All Things,
Endures All Things .
