Saturday, May 5, 2012

And the Greatest of These is Love: A Berlin Story

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)

"But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13 MSG)

I have just spent the last week in a country I had no idea I would fall in love with, after all, I was only coming for vacation. I planned an adventure to a land unknown (or briefly known based on history classes in school) for the wedding of very dear friends. I had the time of my life that no amount of words in a blog could ever express. But for those of you who only know me by the words that I write, I will try to give the story justice. And please be patient as I write this from my phone and in the delirium of my exhaustion from this wonderful trip.

A lot of love, patience, hope, faith, and trust over the years have gone into what lead me to Berlin, Germany this past week. The wedding in which I attended I have known the bride for 7 years, the groom almost 3. I watched as a love & courtship unfolded internationally over the last 3 years. What a beautiful story in patience, love, trust, and grace. Not just towards one another, but with the Lord as well.

I spent the last week not only helping the bride & groom prepare for their ceremony & party, but learning a whole new level of trust in the Lord. How to love others better, to laugh more, and to fully be the person He had called & created me to be. It was quite sweet and surreal as I laid my head down to sleep on my last night in Germany. In that moment I realized that I had spent a whole week just being me. No charade, no trying too hard to impress others, but truly finding comfort in who I am. I pray this is a forever change. I by no means have arrived, but in my pursuit of contentment in whatever season I am in, I am getting closer. Praise the Lord...oh my soul!

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