fifth saturday in lent

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant . . .” 1 Corinthians 13: 4 ff

love is

a weary nurse refusing

to leave the side of a patient,

a neighbor sharing a bag

of groceries with a newcomer in the ‘hood;

love isn’t jealous of those who are healthy,

or boasts on social media about its hoard of supplies,

or pushes in front of the old guy at the store,

or blames their problems on folks they don’t know.

love isn’t a bully on the playground,

or a grumbling spouse because the toast is burnt,

or ripped because someone got the last 6-pack of water;

it does not mock those who believe in a different way,

but realizes everyone sees faith through their own heart.

love carries all those we cannot,

love listens to all those we won’t,

love trusts all those we don’t,

love pushes on even when we disappoint it.

nothing, not even a virus, can destroy love.

like chaff, politicians’ words will scatter;

as for sound bites, they will fade way,

as for scammers, they will hear only dial tones.

we don’t know as much as we like to think we do,

and we like to grumble under our breath,

but when the moment finally comes,

we will run into each other’s arms.

we can stamp our feet, and hold

our breath, trying to turn blue,

but the day will come when we

have to become the adults in the room.

we may not see when these moments end,

but we see God’s face in everyone around us;

we don’t have all the answers, but trust

that God does and is giving them to the right people.

grace, hope, peace, joy, love, wonder, life

is all around us, in these moments like always,

and love is the glue that binds them all together

in the gift which is God’s heart beating for us.

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman