The Greatest of These

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"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Anyone who has every read the New Testament recognizes this verse from

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NASB).

I can recall the first time I truly "heard" it. My wife and I were listening to a Bill Gaither song back in 1974. We had recently come to Christ, newlyweds in our first home. Though both of us were raised in church, we were biblically illiterate.

The song as I recall was entitled, "A Love Song". At a certain point on the 33 rpm record with music in the background, Bill began reading what seemed to us a beautiful poem on love. It was so powerful, that we stopped the record player (younger readers may need to look up the device), as we grabbed a pen and pad, lifting the needle, restarting and then stopping the music as we quickly captured the lyrics.

Neither of us were churched at the time but had begun attending a city-wide prayer breakfast. Upon sharing the words with a friend more scripturally attuned, we were told it was from I Corinthians 13. In fact, we then found it in the green leather book we had purchased for each other. Though we had begun reading, front to back, we had not yet gotten to that page, in The Living Bible version.

Those were precious days, days of discovery, calling and positioning in the Body of Christ.

Yet, now 50 years later, having given our lives to both church and community, experiencing the gifts of the Spirit, "with signs following" and quite powerfully at times, I wonder if only of late, I have truly grasped the message of love?

Faith, the stuff we believe, most often was learned from others, though if truly grasped, at some point requires an act of grace, which then leads to a shift in one's own spirit, a metanoia. Better words perhaps, a transformation, one so obviously demonstrated in Creation.

In biological terms, a full metamorphosis, yet among humans likely over a lifetime as one matures. Nevertheless, akin to the imagery we have all watched as a rather unattractive, fat, juicy grub at some point mysteriously knows how and when to spin a cocoon (perhaps too, a grace moment, out of which soon comes a beautifully winged butterfly.

As I write, I am aware that I am now closer to getting my wings!

Our faith, when grace is applied, provides a hope that otherwise leaves one's person to the mercies and say for some, the brutality of life. Especially if born into abuse, war torn years, deep poverty or even physical limitations by way of injury or genetics.

Life can be difficult without hope, though ironically, true hope often only comes though "the trying of our faith." Hardships birth hope and hope, when fully matured, radiates as love!

Corrie Ten Boom comes to mind as an example, her story also an inspiration in my early walk. She loved others to the detriment of herself.

Don't get me wrong, I am not speaking of some sense of learned religious obligation toward service. And yes, there are belief systems where even self abuse is carried out as means of demonstrating one's commitment. Terrorists are often deeply religious.

As Paul writes, even if I "give my body to be burned", without love it profits little. Love is not learned by mental assent alone, but something that happens as you give your heart over to another, often repeatedly, as one's ego does not give up easily.

If you've read my writings long, you know my favorite childhood story, the Velveteen Rabbit. I now identify more with the Skin Horse, than the Rabbit, described as "fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was

spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were

lined with pink sateen."

Skin Horse, was aged, missing a few buttons, perhaps even an eye!

The Rabbit once feeling out of place, when compared to the mechanical toys, which "were very superior, and looked down upon every one else; they were full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real."

What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day when they were lying by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room.

"Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out

handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that

happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to

play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When

you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by

bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It

takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who

break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept."

We all know that Paul could have never read the Velveteen Rabbit, but perhaps inspired by the same Spirit as author, Margery Williams.

‭"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."