to love

wow. this quote has stayed with me the last few weeks, so i figured i would share. every now and then i look up mother theresa quotes b/c her life and perspective amazes me. i think this quote resonates so strongly with me because i do find myself struggling with judging, and as a result loving.

as Corinthians puts it and most weddings state it: love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

for some reason, when i see or hear this verse, i think of joel. i think of how i'm called to love him and respect him. maybe this is because after sitting in wedding after wedding that reads this between vows and songs, you start to relate it to only marriage. but i realized that i don't normally think of other people and i how i can love them better. so when i read this verse with the mindset of loving those i label as "undeserving," see on the street, watch on the news, read about in the paper, strangers passing in and out of my life, etc., it kind of makes me realize that i do, in fact, have a problem with loving.

i keep record of wrong. a lot. i can be very selfish and self-seeking, especially when it comes to "my" time and money. i'm not patient when it doesn't benefit me in the end. and the list goes on and on. while i know that i am very capable of loving, it's choosing to live in that love that i struggle with.

so with that, i think the quote really just struck home with me because judging has always seemed like one of the worst things you can do and automatically assume you don't deal with it. [insert wake up call here.] i guess i'm realizing that it's all about perspective and loving regardless of action, choices made, circumstances, or opinion for that matter.

i'm sure i'll have more to share on the subject eventually b/c when something hits me this hard, a big lesson or opportunity to live it out usually follows. :)