I write this email as I am preparing for a wedding later this afternoon. Weddings are wonderful occasions. Family members gather from far and wide.

The bridesmaids exchange gifts and prepare for the glamorous occasion. The groomsmen sit and share exaggerated stories of previous escapades. Parents and grandparents sentimentally comb through photo albums that store treasured memories.

 

However, as the saying goes, families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts! Family reunions can stoke sibling rivalries. The green of envy can cast shade over the bride’s colors. Too much champagne can unbridle a tongue to speak regretful words.

 

Yet Paul inspires each of us to rise above the fray:

“Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, MSG).

 

Paul challenges each of us, as Abraham Lincoln suggested, to rise to the level of our better angels. Love is not the easiest of paths, but it leads to the best of destinations.

 

So, as we conclude this fourteen-day Love Challenge, let love begin closest to home. Reach out to a loved one with whom the relationship has grown cold. Ask God to help you find a way to speak or write a word of kindness, encouragement, or gratitude to this person. Let love guide you and keep the bond of your kinship going to the end.