Fill in the blank

Quick… take this well known passage and fill in your name in each of the blanks ::

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

______ never gives up.
______ cares more for others than for self.
______ doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
______ 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.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

1 Corinthians 13:3-10

Now that you’ve filled in the blanks, read it back. Do you feel like a liar? Does it accurately and honestly portray your life? Can you read it and feel good about yourself?

If you can’t, this isn’t a time to beat yourself up. Don’t get all doom and gloom about how you’re never good enough. We ALL have room for improvement. As our district chancellor says, “The largest room in the house is the room for improvement.”

Make today that you start a new chapter in loving those around you and making this Scripture real in your life.

And… regardless of where you might fail (or think you fail) you are still good enough in God’s eyes. Because he IS LOVE.

Now go back and exchange your name for God and read it back.

That’s the picture of true love. That’s the love he wants to give you and show you each and every day. And that’s the love he wants you to share with all those around you.

Now how do we apply this lesson in our day to day lives? Does this make you rethink that next tweet, status update, blog post? Does it make you rethink how you want to respond to your boss, your co-workers, your spouse, your kids?

And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

(HT to Francis Chan for the idea – from his book Crazy Love)