4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13 v 1-13
In our first study, I spoke very generally of love being the foundation to our Fortress of Faith. However, what does that mean? As a woman in the military, as a Christian woman, am I truly living a life of love, or am I merely doing and saying what I think I should as a Christian?
This week we are going to discuss verses one through three:
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Cor 13 v 1
We all know what it is like to be around someone playing a role, being insincere, saying what they think we want to hear. We can see them sucking up to their NCOIC, or to the Commander’s wife. We feel the strain on a conversation as they overplay their exuberance or abhorrence for whatever the topic may be. Yet, sometimes, Ladies, we do the very same thing in the name of our Faith.
Sunday mornings in Chapel, or Sunday School, or in Bible Study, we all want to be “good Christians.” We recite our various memorized prayers for the sake of saying them, but pay no attention to the words we are lifting up to Him. We praise Him with songs not taking the time to understand what we are saying to Him. We greet each other with hugs and kisses while secretly wishing we hadn’t come today because we have so much waiting at home. These are just examples- the way I have felt during my days of struggle in Active Duty, where I felt the fakeness rolling off of my fellow Christians when I attended Chapel or visited a local Church, and turned that inward and saw that fakeness in myself.
How I must have sounded to God? Singing praise that my heart was not in? Reciting a prayer, or bowing my head in prayer, not for an instant considering that in doing so I was supposed to be reciprocating the love He has shown me? I was not a joyful noise in His ear. I was an annoying clanging bell!
Yet how wonderful is His love for us that He still pulls us to Him? No matter where our heart is, His love never leaves us!
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Cor 13 v 2
We, Christian women, have incredible God-given gifts. My gift is the gift of written word. My parents would call it an inherent trait as I have been a writer all my life- I was always better at writing my thoughts than saying them. Only rarely have I used this gift to glorify Him, and even more rarely have I written from love. As my parents can attest, they best saw my writing skills when I was angry at them or hurt. I could write pages and pages of self-centered, egocentric blather based on my anger, on my hurt, on my struggles. I feel a huge insecurity when writing from feelings of happiness, joy, and love. Even now, I struggle with writing this blog, making sure that I write from love, joy, and hope.
What is your God-given gift, your talent? When you use that gift/talent, is it from a basis of love? In what ways can you pull His love into your gift so that others can see that love?
What really speaks to me is the second part of the verse that speaks of faith to move mountains, and yet without love, that faith is meaningless! What?! This means, that you can have faith in Christ, you can KNOW that He loves you, but if you do not also love, that faith is meaningless! Faith without love is a faith with no foundation.
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1Cor 13 v 3
In 1999, I was in technical school for the Air Force. One evening a friend and I were taking a walk and discussing various different subjects- among them- faith. Now, this friend was an atheist. This friend was dear to me. We got along well. We confided in each other. We enjoyed each other’s company. There I was a brand new Airman, and a wary Christian, afraid of really sharing my faith with anyone, but still so sure that nothing could rock my faith. This friend did just that with one statement: “So, as a Christian, you believe that I will go to Hell because I do not believe the same as you.” I cried as I was forced to consider that someone I cared about was not someone I would see in Eternity. I cried as I wanted so badly to lie, to choose not to believe that portion of His Word, to pick and choose just the pretty messages so I could not offend my friend.
That moment started a quest to define my faith, to understand what makes up my faith. The result- Love, like our Lord has shown for us, is the foundation to our faith. Love reciprocated to our Lord helps our foundation stay strong. Love shown in our words, shown through our gifts and talents, and shown though our actions is what separates us.
As Military Women, we move around a lot. We meet other women from all aspects of life. Those women are of different cultures, different religions, and different places in their faith. We will especially find women of our own faith that differ from us greatly due to upbringing, denominations, varying levels of maturity in faith, different circumstances in their lives. We have unique opportunities to speak love, to show love through our talents, to minister with love through our actions.
This does not mean that we cower or hide.
Stand tall!
Rest in His love, lean on His promises, but in everything you do, do it with His love cementing the basis of your faith!
God bless you!!
~C. Borden
Copyright © 2012 C.H.Borden
Pardon me for repeating this video---It just perfectly retells 1 Corinthians 13 v 1-3. Enjoy!
its hard enough as a woman in the military. I always feel like an outsider in my job of mostly men. I am never comfortable sharing my faith. But what makes me feel guilty is that I have not yet been to a chapel service where I could relate to what was being preached so I stopped going. I tried going to a bible study but the only other women were all spouses, and i just don't relate to that yet. where are all the studies for single women like me? surely there are other christian women serving in the military...
ReplyDeletethank you for this study. I hope it helps me meet other women like me.
I have been praying for you, Ma'am. There was a time while I was Active Duty that I felt completely isolated in my Faith. I met other Christians here and there, but so many of the other Christian women seemed to share my fear of creating relationships and even finding good churches. I have struggled ever since trying to understand WHY I felt so isolated, and WHY it was so hard to find a church, when clearly I needed that fellowship. It is that struggle and the questions that I am still trying to answer that are part of the inspiration to this blog. No Christian woman, no matter where they are, should feel isolated. We should be reaching out to each other, and finding comfort and encouragement with each other. I hope and pray that this site allows you to find other women you can relate to and commune with. I hope and pray that He is able to show you His peace and His plan. God bless you!
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