Friday, September 25, 2009

Love never fails

1 Corinthians 13:7–8; “[Love] . . . always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . . .”

Have you ever taken part in a trust fall? It’s a group trust-building activity where you stand on a table and fall backwards into the arms of other people who are supposed to catch you.

When my husband and I were youth group leaders years ago, we held an overnight retreat for “our kids.” One of the activities was a trust fall, and somehow (I can’t imagine how) one of our girls slipped through the outstretched arms of her peers and cracked her head on the hard gymnasium floor. She spent the rest of the night with an awful headache while I monitored her for a possible concussion.

Did she learn to trust the group?

It’s interesting to me that she’s the one who went into full-time ministry. She and her husband are missionaries in China. Somewhere along the line, she learned that even though she couldn’t always trust in people, she could trust in God.

It can be very hard to move beyond our fears: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of pain . . . That’s why it’s so important to practice trusting God.

Maybe you’ve been told, “Don’t get your hopes up – that way you can’t be disappointed.” Having zero expectations may be a “safe” way to live, but is it godly? Romans 14:23b says, “. . . and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Do you really want to go through life doing everything in your power to avoid disappointment? Faith is going to call you beyond your comfort level. Faith is going to force the issue of whether or not you trust in your Heavenly Father.

When you read 1 Corinthians 13, remember that GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:8). He’s calling His children to trust Him completely, knowing that He (Love) will never fail.

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