Faith Friday | Lean Into Love

Yep, I've been called Pollyanna a time or two. I do tend to be cheerful and optimistic most of the time. It's just me, always has been. My sister teases me calling me ever the cheerleader, full of sunshine.

Now don't get me wrong. I am human and do have bad days (okay sometimes weeks) from time to time. I'm just as imperfect as the next person. Plus I'm not naive - I know there is evil in this world. I just choose to lean into love, look for the good and... try to be the good.

This past Sunday one of the readings was from Corinthians 13. I adore Corinthians 12 - 13. It talks of the gifts of the spirit and then dives into love and what it is and isn't. My favorite part is 13:4-7.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated. It does not dishonor others, it does not seek its own interests, it is not easily angered, it does not rejoice over wrongdoings, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Sometimes I think it would do the whole world good if before we comment in life situations, in person or on social media, we first read this verse. The line that strikes me the most is - it does not seek its own interest. In other words love is unselfish. That's a biggie with self so prevalent in today's society. We're a people of selfies. Self-gratification. A society of proving yourself correct at all costs. Families often split apart because spouses no longer take "die to self" as a thing in marriage. Our politicians scoff at walking across aisles. It's often me, me, me. Service organizations struggle for volunteers, because we are all just too busy to make time for helping. It all makes my Pollyanna heart ache.

I think of a few of my very favorite people. Mary, St. Teresa of Calcutta, my Mama, my sisters, my sister-in-law, and my best girlfriends, especially Beth and Kara. The thing that draws me to them... The thing that I adore most about their spirits... It's their love and how they freely give it. In each I see touches of unselfish love so beautiful that it draws me to them like a beacon of light.

So that same Sunday mass included a favorite song. Don't you love it when Sunday church so beautifully speaks to your soul? It's like the whole service was for you. You almost skip out at the end. Okay, okay.. I know we're talking unselfish and love here. Church is for everyone. The tune was the Servant Song. Maybe like the above Corinthians verses, it might do a body good to listen to it once in awhile too. A renew, refresh, reset on how we can have the grace to be servants to one another, even when we don't really want to.

My favorite part of the Servant Song is in the middle:

We are pilgrims on the journey

We are travelers on the road

We are here to help each other 

Walk the mile and bear the load

Truth, peeps, all truth. We're all on a journey, and it's so much easier when we step out of the "me" and bear the load together. Often the advice of counselors, when people are trying to overcome, deal or cope with something in their own life, is to step outside yourself and find somewhere to volunteer and serve. Isn't that a curious thing? It seems any act of service, no matter how small that helps reach out to someone else, adds to the quality of our own journey. Curious, indeed.

This past week I happened upon a new to me podcast - The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman (Thanks, Mary Graham!) In episode 68, she talks of decision fatigue and simply doing our next right thing in love. It's a good one. Did you know even if you don't have an iPhone, you can listen to podcasts? Give Stitcher a try. It's free, peeps, from your computer or phone.

Give it a listen and cheers to doing the next right thing (for you) in love. 

- Jen