“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing“.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

This past week, I once again got to experience the wonders and amazement at how God works through love.

It was my intention to be speaking Spanish more fluently before I left, but the language of love proved that in the midst of chaos and the confusion of three languages, love was more powerful than words.

The love we experienced this week brought a group of strangers together in unity of Spirit and purpose. It motivated us when our energy was lacking. It humbled us when our emotions were peaking. It controlled out temptation to harm the rooster that woke us up at 3, and 4 and 5am! It helped us speak Jesus over the poor in Spirit and unhealthy bodies. Love was the language that revealed miracles of new perspectives and transformed beliefs, and it was the healing words that were received by broken and prideful hearts alike – those we were serving and our own.

I think of each day how we go into the world wearing badges on our shoulders; our titles, our accomplishments, our Spiritual gifts, our revelations, our intentions, or maybe our new language that we’ve learned. But if those things don’t help build communities, nurture interactions, affirm one another, communicate compassion and understanding, and elevate Jesus, then all those things are worth nothing.

So as I continue to work on my Spanish, I will also immerse myself in the school of love. I will learn to move beyond just mouthing words, and allow the Spirit to fill my heart, my mind, and my deeds more fluently. I will recognize the things that will fail, or cease, or fade away, and focus on the one thing that will continue to speak through eternity. I want to speak a language so loud that’s it’s understood without translation. I want to speak love because “No one has seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” (I John 4:12). May we all be tutored by the Holy Spirit and learn to speak love – every sentence, every word, every minute, every day.

#SaturdaySoulSearch