4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 )
Paul expresses the character of genuine love so succinctly here, it’s an important message for every friend, parent, child, husband, and wife. It was a message I needed to hear as a young guy, along with: love does not use people! If there was one sin that absolutely characterized my high school years it was that I was a terrible friend to the various girls I dated. I tended to date people in order to establish my own self-worth and when I grew bored with one girl, or when my fancy grew for another, I tossed them aside. It is a shameful memory, one that I almost didn’t type because I recognize how disgusting and sinful it was. But praise be to God that it all changed and I am now happily married to a woman that I do not deserve.
Stories of how couples meet are always somewhat interesting…to the couple. Mine is interesting to me. When Krista showed up in my world and began hanging around my friends it was the summer before I started college. She 
seemed nice, funny, and pretty…but truth be told: I thought she was a 14 year old little girl. So when one of my best friends began dating her I was more than weirded out. I was in a serious relationship at the time and was working full-time to get ready for college. We hardly saw each other, but on the few occasions that we did I don’t recall saying much. Then she and my pal parted ways and she showed up late to our church one evening to wish us all well before we went our separate ways. Since I had shown up late for church too we decided to sit and visit for the remainder of the service (I know, I skipped church to meet a girl…but I am okay with it).
As I began to get to know this young woman I was struck at how fascinating, brilliant, and funny she was. There was a side to her that I had not gotten to know and I found it utterly compelling…plus I found out that she was my age. I put all my best moves on her that evening…none of them landed. She resisted every “charm” I had (none of which, by the way, were very subtle…I lack subtlety in most things). But I did manage to score an e-mail address and we agreed to shoot messages once we left for college. I honestly never thought I’d see her again, but we began dating several months after. I was in Youngstown, Ohio and she was in Lexington, Kentucky and our relationship was practically all built with the help of Alexander Graham Bell. But long-distance was awful and I was ready to kick it up a notch.
I had planned it all out, I knew I was going to ask her to marry me and then we would both transfer to Ohio University and be together. She was coming home from Asbury college for the winter break, I was going to meet her that night and pop the question. But about the time that I thought she should be getting home I got a call from her mom saying that Krista had been in a wreck and they were rushing down to get her. Her car had hit some ice while crossing a bridge. The whole thing had flipped up onto the guard rail, ridden it for some distance before crashing back onto the highway. It was God’s hand that kept the car from following the natural course of momentum which would have carried right over the bridge and down into something like a 30 foot ravine. The roof was crushed in, the windows were blown out, and her luggage lay strewn across the highway behind her, but miraculously Krista walked away without only a few scratches. Needless to say, I didn’t pop the question.
We didn’t get engaged that night. Instead of celebrating our love together, my future-wife spent the evening explaining the gospel to the state trooper who picked her up, and to some random dudes at a gas station where she waited for her parents to come get her. Crazy, right? It only confirmed for me how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this godly, awesome, crazy woman.
We eventually did get married, and we now have two beautiful children and there are still plenty of days where I pause and stare at them all and think: How on earth did this happen?! How was it that I came so clearly and cleanly from 
random dater to devoted husband and father? It’s only the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. I wasn’t just saved one time back in the day, I was being changed and transformed after that salvation. This is all part of what it means to be a disciple. Sure my story’s not as dynamic as the guy rescued from violent gang affiliation or drug addiction, but it feels a pretty dynamic transformation in my mind. I know who I was, what I did, and where I was going and I see what Jesus has been doing and I confess this is a crazy journey! I know too that this story gives me hope for the future, because I am far from perfect. I am still jacked-up and wrestling with all sorts of stuff, but I know “He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion.” My crazy journey isn’t even close to over!
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 