1 Corinthians
Chapter 13
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
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I have two very good friends, both feel like a "resounding gong or a clashing cymbal" because they do not have the most important: Love. One of them has money to buy all the things he ever dreamed, they do have lots of things (I think they have too many, but that is my opinion). Painfully he discovered that being surrounded by wealth does not give him the happiness. The other one has no love and no money, which is a bad combination indeed. One of them has a partner who is a selfish, grouchy, controlling, wealth obbsessive, dominant freak. The other one had the misfortune of marrying his brides' family also, with all their problems. Both my friends do not have love. Without love wealth is empty and poverty is painful.
We all would like to have it all. Material things to keep us comfortable and allow us to feel powerful and important. Isn't that strange how material things can make us feel powerful? I think there might be some who have them both: things and love in the same time, and lots of both. God, they must be so happy!
I am in bigger debts than ever in my life, and in the same time I have more than ever. I do consider myself rich (now that compared with my life in Romania). I am also very glad that I am free, and finally I am able to let go and let God. Perhaps that is why God blessed me richly with more than I ever asked for, more than I expected. OK, I will not say "more than I ever dreamed" since I do dream of much more than I have :-) Hey, I am human!
I also learned that belongings, money, wealth, are all only Things! Now, they can make you feel good and comfortable but they cannot make you feel loved. It's good to have things around when you have Love. I know there are people who are happy just by having lots of things around. But then there are other ones like me, people who need Love to complete the happiness of their life.
I consider myself a happy and blessed person. I worked so hard in my life (especially the last 12 years) to accomlish a dream. I also learned to enjoy life. Perhaps I learned the hard way. I am not sure this came with knowledge, or with age :-) Might be only that I became older and wiser. Or might be just another blessing from above! I promised myself that I will work hard, but I will keep watching my work to make sure I enjoy what I do. I learned that we are free. That there are choices and decisions to make. That nothing and no thing (!) is forever!
I have things, a job, a happy little JRT who keeps me laughing, but as these my two friends, myself I don't have the most important: LOVE.