You Find What You Are Looking For
By Beth Mabe Gianopulos
Monday, December 19, 2016
Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love 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. 1 Corinthians 13:3-7 MSG
A few days ago, our family decided to stop by our favorite frozen custard shop for a treat. Two of my kids and I ordered our custard when my youngest son said, “Look, a lady bug!” I looked in a small corner and saw a tiny lady bug.
As we walked out of the shop, my son exclaimed, “whoa, where did you come from?” I looked down and in the corner of the door was a large grass hopper.
A number of customers had walked by the lady bug and the grasshopper without a second glance. But my youngest son was different. Wherever he goes, he finds a bug.
My son is not a super bug detective and he doesn’t have magical powers. He simply loves bugs more than anything in this world. Because he loves bugs so much, he is always watchful, searching for bugs.
While the rest of the world walks by, oblivious to the presence of these tiny creatures, my son is diligently and patiently looking for bugs.
I do not find bugs because I am not looking for bugs. My son finds bugs everywhere because in life, we find what we are looking for.
As Christmas approaches, many of us are filled with dread because we know what we will find when we spend time with our family – we will find a brother’s criticism, a parent’s anger, a friend’s negative world view. Even though we love our family, they often know how to drive us crazy.
So how can we approach Christmas with a different attitude?
1 Corinthians 13 is famous for describing the attributes of love.
Love “doesn’t keep score of the sins of others .... puts up with anything ... always looks for the best.“ If we enter Thanksgiving looking for our sister’s critical spirit, that is what we will see.
If we are looking for our in-laws‘negative attitude, we will find what we are looking for.
This Christmas, try to see the world with new eyes. Just as my son walks outside with eyes wide open, expecting to find insects, we can walk into a room with our family with eyes expectantly open and “always look for the best.“
If you take a moment and look for the good, you just may find that there is a lot to love about your family. After all, we find what we are looking for.
As you gather with family and friends for Christmas, remember love.
Love “puts up with anything” and “doesn’t keep score of the sins of others.”
If you look for love, joy, peace, and compassion, you will find what you are looking for.
Jesus, thank you for family and friends. Even when our family and friends hurt us or drive us crazy, help us to look for the good in them. Remind us that love looks for the best in others, and help us to continue to look for the good until we find it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
© 2016 by Beth Mabe Gianopulos. All rights reserved.
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