What crisis are you facing now?  Chances are it is either a crisis of faith, hope, and or love. In First Corinthians, Chapter 13, also known as, “The love chapter, you will see how Paul is talking about spiritual gifts, but then interrupts by saying what is more important than any spiritual gift is love.  Paul explains love like this:

• V4-Love is patient love is kind.

•     V8 –Love never fails

• V13-And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

Stay with me here. Now let’s look at a couple of verses from 1 John Chapter 4:

•     V8 –Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

•     V16-…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

•     V19 – We love because he first loved us.  

With these 1 John verses in mind, then shouldn’t the 1 Corinthians verses read as follows:

•     V4 – God is patient and kind (to me).

•     V8 – God never fails (me).

•     V13 – But the greatest of these is God.

I am hearing you say, “Ok Tanya, what’s your point?”  Here is the point: Are we living loved? Are we embracing the fact that Jesus loved us first? God loves us in our brokenness, with all our fears and insecurities. He loves us just the way we are, not the way we think we should be.

Why do we insist on living between the cross and resurrection? I find myself worn out from jumping back and forth. One minute, my hope is dashed, then I move from heartache to hallelujah the next. My faith can feel old and mundane, then shortly, strong enough to mount up with wings like eagles.

Our crisis of faith and hope is settled with the sacrifice of Jesus and His assurance of love for us. But, yet, I continue to plea.

O Eternal One, it would be easier for me to pray if I were clear and of a single mind and a pure heart; if I could be done hiding from myself and from you, even in my prayers.  But, I am who I am, mixture of motives and excuses, blur of memories, quiver of hopes, knot of fear, tangle of confusion, and restless with love, for love. I wander somewhere between gratitude and grievance, wonder and routine, high resolve and undone dreams, generous impulses and unpaid bills. Come, find me, Lord. Be with me exactly as I am.  Help me find me, Lord. Help me accept what I am, so I can begin to be yours. In Jesus name, Amen. (Prayer by Ted Loder)