When You Don't Feel Like Living Like That

Its early in the evening and the thunder is still rolling. There is a kind of magic in thunder. A sort of peacefulness in a storm. Living at the base of a long range of mountains does have an advantage...One of those are the frequent thunderstorms in the summer.

However, this one feels a bit more rare. Its been 6 hours since the first wave of the storm blew in and since there there has been a continual cycle of rain and thunder. Not that I mind. As I mentioned before, I find a sort of peace in the rough blowing of the wind, the bright flash of a bolt of lightning, the deep, rolling artillery fire of thunder. Yes. In a way, these incredible storms are yet another testament to the unique and awesome creation of Earth.

Sometimes I wish the feeling of peace, happiness and absolute awe would go on and on. However, as it happens to be, I am a human. And sometimes "Life seems perfect, other days it just ain't worth it..." My own selfish feelings often get in the way. I don't feel a certain way... I don't feel like working. I don't feel like taking a large dose of humility and not issuing a quarrel with others.In these situations I need to remember all the little qualities of love.

      "Love suffers long and is kind..." Long suffering is one of those difficult ones. In the easy moments you feel compliant, but when it really gets down to it, it can be very hard to not respond or even initiate a quarrel, disagreement or provoke a bad attitude. 

        "Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own..." A common theme with love seems to be that it is not selfish. Often times I tend to only want my comfort  but sometimes the best way to show love is to step out of your own comfort and look to help someone else in their walk. 

This is how I want to live my life. Serving others and not seeking my own. Its incredibly hard and often I have a battle between what I want and what I want to want. The latter being living a love that shows Jesus is in my heart... The good news is that while this is close to impossible for us to do on our own, God will work to finish the work which He began... "but with God all things are possible."

So on those days when things are rough, when you find it difficult to look beyond your own ambitions, look to the words which He has left us-

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8.a