And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
For the last couple of weeks, I have been working on a new song, and this bible verse inspired part of the lyric. It also has me thinking about the word “remains”:
re·mains
/rəˈmānz/
noun
the parts left over after other parts have been removed, used, or destroyed. "the remains of a sandwich lunch were on the table"
a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone or been taken or used. "the fine residue left after the sorting of tea"
A persons body after death
Then, I looked up the word “residue”: a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone or been taken or used.
The past two weeks, I have been in Genesis speaking about Jacob and Joseph and their remains. In both cases, they had loving acts they expressed through blessings and promises over their children before they died. They left an inheritance.
It makes me think about the storms of life that can come upon us at any time and deregulate our internal being. We say after a bad storm, “look at those remains!” A natural disaster. The aftermath. What remains? Usually we are looking for the devastation right? But, what if we looked at our circumstances after the dust settles from lenses of love? Meaning, what remains is His love. It’s the greatest thing! Could we still see His love for us is bigger than the devastation all around us? This is what I’m processing within myself. Can we get bad news and still see His loving kindness?
I’ve heard it said that love is a choice. So, I’m choosing to see love in the midst of a mess. I’m even asking the Father for gifts, and they’ve been showing up. I’ve received them in many forms, mind you, but my most favorite kind of gift is a fresh song. Something happens inside of me when He sends me a melody or a line to complete another pray put to a melody within.
Can we make it our purpose to see through eyes of love? So much of the news through media is projecting—loss after loss after loss. If ingesting this kind of content starts to make your blood pressure go up, please stop listening. Your body has had enough. All I know is His love remains. It’s the residue I want to leave when I’m gone. Love prints with eternal sentiments. That’s all I want to leave here on this side of heaven. Amen.
Until next time,
Stay Tender
Connect to the Mender
Be a Sender
Comments