Wednesday, May 30, 2012

and the greatest of these is love


Hey yall, it’s Amaris!

At this point, we’re just about half way through with project and I think it’s safe to say I’m the only one on the team who still cannot successfully order a pastry in correct French. My “Merci” almost always comes out “Mercy,” let’s hope I can master it by the end of our time hereJ It is insane how quickly the time is going by as we are sharing on campus, making friends, and LIVING IN PARIS.

 A focus of our training times this week has been how to love others. This is something the Lord has been teaching me since my arrival in Paris. Tuesday morning we looked at scripture to dive deeper into this topic. 1 Corinthians 13: 9-12 sparked conversation in my small group, and something just finally clicked for me.

 So many people, including myself, often just focus on the beginning part of this chapter. But what is Paul saying in these verses? He is telling us that we are to love, as it is the most important thing, but that our love is imperfect. Only the love that God has for us is perfect. “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” How amazing are these words?! Today, we only know in part the love the Lord has for us and the resulting love we are able to give to others. When Jesus returns, we will fully know the extent of His love. The beauty, I think, is in that last little bit. Although we are unable to love perfectly and cannot even grasp the vastness of God’s love for us, we are fully known and fully loved by Him. What a good good God we serve!

This scripture is pure and straight forward, and yet I so easily miss it. All I can do for these students is love them well, but when relying on myself I am completely inadequate.  Daily, the team and I must rely on God and His Spirit to lead and guide us in conversations and friendships with the Parisians. He has been so faithful already to open doors, and I know He will continue to do so. The Lord keeps impressing on me that this is not over. Even for those students we meet once and never see again-the Lord is fighting for them.

Please pray for our remaining time here that we would love and serve well, both within our team and to the French people we encounter. Pray that we would see the Parisians the way God sees them and love them as He has loved us. Thank you to our family and friends who have sent us here-we love you, we miss you, and we are blessed to have you in our lives!

Love,

Amaris in Paris

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