Faith, Hope, Love

Recently I've been pondering spiritual things. My thoughts have been centered on faith, hope, and love. Those three words are commonly used in churches and in the world. I've seen them displayed on mantels, in foyers, in kitchens or other rooms of many homes.

I remember growing up in the 80's and seeing a triplet of placards on our living room wall, each with one of these words fancily written and decoupaged in pink, light blue, and yellow. When I was ten, I didn't have much to think about them except that they were pretty in an 80's home decor sort of way, but now as an adult I feel like I'm gaining wisdom about the true meaning of these words.

Faith
The Apostle Paul taught:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)

I personally haven't seen Jesus Christ face to face in my mortal life, but I have faith that he lived, died, was resurrected, and still lives. I have faith that I will have the opportunity to see Jesus again and shake his hand and hug him. Which leads me to...

Hope
Knowing I have a Savior, I have great hope for an even better future in eternity. I am grateful for His Atoning sacrifice, that we celebrated this past Easter Sunday, that will grant me a ticket to a heavenly home if I repent of my sins and endure to the end with faith. What a wonderful gift! This hope is what carries me through the trials and icky parts of life. It's going to be so much better when we live in "forever" with a loving Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

So, I can deal with some toddler tantrums and unemployment in the meantime, because really this is such a tiny moment in our eternal existence.

and finally...

Love
Love is a word that is flippantly used in our everyday lives. For example, I love popcorn. I love watching The Brady Bunch. I love clean toilets. Now, yes, I do love these things and it is ok to use the term to express my extreme like. But 'love' as the last and most important of this famous triplet of words actually means 'charity'. Sometimes when we think 'charity' we think about donating our used and stained clothing, and toys with missing pieces to Goodwill.

But really, what is charity?

Paul gives a good definition in 1 Corinthians 13 and to summarize:
Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for us and that we should have for others. It is the:

highest,

noblest,

and

strongest

kind of love

and the

most JOYOUS to the soul.

(I did not write the summarized definition, but got it here.)

I felt joyness to the soul this past week admist the turmoil of six kids and daily chores while thinking about the people in my life especially my FAMILY and my FRIENDS. These are people that I love unconditionally and that I know love me unconditionally. People who will not unfriend me on facebook (Yes, it happened again, but I'm ok, I recovered from it.) People who care enough to show it through a kind deed, a kind message, a kind comment on my blog, or a foot massage. (Thanks, babe!) This joyful feeling exceeds happiness. It penetates the soul and causes the giver and the receiver to want to bask in it forever. Love is powerful. I believe the feeling of love, true charitable love, gives us a glimpse into heaven. It is good.

It is good to ponder. I find it hard to get a moment of quiet to do so, but I try to squeeze a minute here and there while folding laundry, showering, or getting the mail. Pondering helps us to appreciate our gifts and regain an eternal perspective. Pondering releases gratitude and urges us to express it.

I don't mean to ramble my random thoughts to my random audience of readers, but there IS more to my life than poopy diapers, laundry, and my latest and greatest polka dot birthday cake. Just so you know.

And ... I love you.

Even if I don't know you, or haven't met you in person, or haven't seen you in a long time, I love you and I hope to meet you or meet again one day, perhaps in heaven.