She read one of everyone’s favorite passages, that of 1 Cor. 13, The Love Chapter. One could feel the hearts warm as the familiar words were read. In essence she read,

Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love is not boastful.
Love is not arrogant.
Love is not rude.
Love does not insist on its own way.
Love is not irritable.
Love is not resentful.
Love does not rejoice at wrong.
Love rejoices in the right.
Love bears all things.
Love believes all things.
Love hopes all things.
Love endures all things.

She then called us to attention as she asked us to repeat after her.

I am patient.
I am kind.
I am not boastful.
I am not arrogant.
I am not rude.
I do not insist on my own way.
I am not irritable.
I am not resentful.
I do not rejoice in wrong.
I rejoice when others are right.
I bear all things in love.
I believe all things.
I hope in all things.
I endure in all things.

The speaker quietly commented that she was having difficulty uttering some of those proclamations. She asked if some of us might have choked on a couple of them.

It is interesting to contemplate on how one of the all time favorite scriptures is the Love Chapter and yet when ‘doing the test,’ many of us discover that warm fuzzy feeling has dissipated. The lessons taught by the Master are not to bring despair to our hearts, but rather to challenge us to seek Him in all ways, to point us to His love for each one of us.

May we all take the challenge and grow in His love. Amen.