At church today the sermon was based on the well known "Love is patient, love is kind...." passage, and it got me thinking, inspite another of those blasted headaches making me wade through treacle to get there! Anyway, here are my meanderings, for what they're worth.

First, the passage from my favourite The Message version, courtesy of e-sword

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 

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.

Well, this was the passage that was read at my wedding, so it's very applicable to the kind of unselfish love I need to make my marriage function. We've always tried never to let the sun go down on an argument - in fact before we were exhausted by the addition of small people we were very disciplined in never walking away from each other with a cross word unresolved (because the quicker it's forgiven, the easier it is to forget it). 

It's obviously about God's love, being in the Bible! But it's also about a successful Community, which was the point of the sermon this morning, but is true of any Community, even one in cyber-space.

But for me it is also a picture of the kind of parent I want to be - one who looks for the best, keeps on going, doesnt fly off the handle, and cares more for these children I have been entrusted with than I do for myself. Big challenge! But it is something to aim for, and of course, "if you aim at nothing then that is what you'll hit, nothing!"