This is a timely article for me. I am an American traveling in British Columbia. Yesterday I took a ferry to Vancouver Island. My son commented on his mind being blown at the “melting pot” of cultures and languages surrounding us. As I sat quietly in observance of the people around me, a large, rambunctious family sat near me. I don’t know what language they spoke, but the Africa-shaped earrings and bright fabrics on the grandmother made me suppose they were from Africa. A wave of perspective fell over me and I became lost in the “delight” spoken of in this article. The complex sounds of their language pouring out effortlessly from the lips of their children was a feast for my ears. As my perspective expanded, I drank in the stunning variety surrounding me. Turbans, deep, black eyes, skin of all colors, and a symphony of languages swirling around me. It literally brought me to tears and God’s words came to my mind: “…to beautify and give variety to the earth”. It wasn’t just what I was seeing or hearing that overcame me; it was the wonder of their lives- the experiences; the perspectives, that were being uniquely lived in each of those beautiful sons and daughters. The Spirit spoke to me: “This is love”.
This is timely. Thank you. When I go about the world busily aimed at my targets, trying to avoid people who might suck me away into their needs, I can oft times become so focused that I do all I can to speed right past them as stealthily as I can. I do not feel the fruits of the Spirit in those moments. Instead I feel the corrosion of selfishness. It is bitter. You are right, tolerance is not love. It is low-level interaction. It is not involvement.
This is a timely article for me. I am an American traveling in British Columbia. Yesterday I took a ferry to Vancouver Island. My son commented on his mind being blown at the “melting pot” of cultures and languages surrounding us. As I sat quietly in observance of the people around me, a large, rambunctious family sat near me. I don’t know what language they spoke, but the Africa-shaped earrings and bright fabrics on the grandmother made me suppose they were from Africa. A wave of perspective fell over me and I became lost in the “delight” spoken of in this article. The complex sounds of their language pouring out effortlessly from the lips of their children was a feast for my ears. As my perspective expanded, I drank in the stunning variety surrounding me. Turbans, deep, black eyes, skin of all colors, and a symphony of languages swirling around me. It literally brought me to tears and God’s words came to my mind: “…to beautify and give variety to the earth”. It wasn’t just what I was seeing or hearing that overcame me; it was the wonder of their lives- the experiences; the perspectives, that were being uniquely lived in each of those beautiful sons and daughters. The Spirit spoke to me: “This is love”.
LOVING the audio!!!!
This is timely. Thank you. When I go about the world busily aimed at my targets, trying to avoid people who might suck me away into their needs, I can oft times become so focused that I do all I can to speed right past them as stealthily as I can. I do not feel the fruits of the Spirit in those moments. Instead I feel the corrosion of selfishness. It is bitter. You are right, tolerance is not love. It is low-level interaction. It is not involvement.