Sharing our hearts

by Kim Korinek

I have a friend who collects heart shaped stones. Everywhere she goes, she finds them because she’s keeping an eye out. One can only conclude, the world is full of hearts, both hidden and easy to find. It’s a good lead-in to a story about trusting that love is always there, right?

I was in college, and was bothered by my roommate’s behavior. I think we were a bit tired of each other to begin with and we both had lots of courses and heavy work loads. So it was easy to get annoyed at the slightest offense. She made a few offhand comments and I decided to ignore her for awhile.

But an insistent inner voice said I needed just to love her. It said to forget the minor annoyances and just love her. I thought this was a message from God so I followed it. I went out of my way to do something kind, something nice that she would notice. I kept it up for awhile.

A few days into my efforts, my roommate confided in me that she was going through a rather traumatic time with her boyfriend. She said that the recent reminder of our solid friendship was such a help to her at that time.

I was so happy that I had listened to this suggestion to love my friend. The life lesson here was to love, always love. One can never go wrong by loving.

For my friend, who was struggling with a sense of variable love with her boyfriend, finding love in the hidden places-in an old friend-was just what she needed to pull her through, and ultimately out of an unhealthy relationship.

As the Bible says, “Charity (Love) never faileth” and in another part of the Bible it states plainly that “God is love.” I have found that loving is never wrong. It helps you to listen, slows or stops erratic reaction, neutralizes tense moments, quiets pride, and helps establish calm and trust. I like how The Message defines Love from 1 Corinthians 13, “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self…Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.”

So whether love comes at you with neon lights and sirens, or the quiet assurance of a friend, God as Love is always there for each of us. And God’s love comes in a form perfectly suited for each of us at all times. We just have to listen, and then act with Love.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 5:21 pm and is filed under Friendship, College and University. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.