The Evidence of Love

What is love? A wise man once said, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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.”(I Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB) 
 
In the bustle of camp life, it’s easy to overlook an opportunity to love. When you’re running on 4 hours of sleep every night or when your life is dictated by the sound of a siren (go here, eat this, do that),  it's easy to get caught up in the routine of life and miss the opportunity staring you in the face. As we navigate through the month of February, I’m reminded by Chris Tiegreen in his One Year at His Feet devotional that “the evidence of love is obedience”. 
 
Jesus tells us in John 13:35, "by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." This February, instead of focusing on flowers, chocolates, and dinner reservations, would you consider gifting the people around you a compliment when a criticism seems more natural? Or a slow tempered response given after the heat of a moment? “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another…"

We must always be willing to show the love of Christ and we might not know the opportunities God will give us to do that. Sometimes it might be tangible ways, others ways it might be being available to listen, sit and pray together.

It all started with a simple text in my inbox, "Do you want to pray with me?"

Over the past few months, I have had the great privilege of getting together once a week and praying with one of our female counselors from last summer. The locations vary but the purpose of our gathering is always the same: prayer.

A few weeks ago, one of the locations we chose to meet at was the state office building. We prayed for a few friends by name who worked within the building but mostly prayed for those we didn't know.

Immediately afterwards I headed to a women's Bible study where I got to sit next to a girl who most would call a stranger but who I call a future friend. That night I learned that she had just come from work at the state office building. Her department was under a huge deadline and she requested prayer.

I couldn't hold back my smile as I thought back on my day and saw God's fingerprints all over it. It wasn't by chance that on that very day my friend and I were praying at the state office building. And it definitely wasn't by chance I sat next to a gal who happens to work in that very building.

It was a beautiful reminder of how BIG our God is and how He cares about the little details of our lives like making sure we get covered in prayer by strangers! It is a blessing to see God’s love on display, in ways we might be aware of and even others that we might not be.