Hope Maketh Not Ashamed When Love is Shed Abroad
When Love is shed abroad, like seeds falling from a fall garden plant and blown with the breeze hither and yon, hope maketh not ashamed.
Because given the sunshine and rain of deliberate acts of love, those seeds will come to fruition in the right time.
“
And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.
”
Just a quick thought on this verse today.
How often is the love of God not shed abroad in our hearts?
The long line at the checkout when I’m in a hurry, and the person at the till is su-u-uper slow, checking and re-checking every price. And all the other checkers are busy somewhere else…
Speaking of check-outs, the person in front of you has two carts full, and a bulging coupon wallet, four or five ads she’s shuffling around to find the right ad to match… I’m so glad stores did away with ad-matching. That could totally make my hope ashamed. Because when love didn’t pour out of me to the hopeless coupon klutzes, I felt very ashamed of myself later.
I thank God for the tribulations
that slowly through the years taught me the patience I now have that was missing when I was younger.
No, I’m not always a model of patience. It’s too easy to let my agenda get in the way. Why do those silly kids have to drive their sports cars on the freeway when I need a relaxing drive home from the airport at midnight? I mean, 8 sports cars weaving in and out, slowing down to line up across all lanes, then burning rubber to get to 90 mph… Where are the highway patrol officers when you want them? If I’d been in one of those cars 40 years ago I would have thought I owned the road, and the weary old fuddy-duddies could just put up with it. Now that I’m the fuddy-duddy I think the young people have no respect. Especially when everyone has to slam on their brakes to avoid one of them making a crazy move.
You see, life has a way of making my hope ashamed. I plan to do good, and shed love abroad all day long.
I planned to say that good thing to the little’s teacher, but then the moment slipped away, and who knows when I’ll see her again.
And I thought of helping the friend with a hectic week. I just needed a few free hours, and I could do it. Those hours? They got smashed by a new idea that carried me away into hours of creation, which ended in nothing. A fail. So ashamed that I didn’t follow the original thought.
Today, God, please
help me to feel the Holy Ghost shedding those feelings of love abroad like dandelion seeds, or at this time of year, spider webs floating on the breeze.
Help me to look for those gossamer threads of love that You shed so freely if we
only take the time to notice.
Because if I truly take time to notice, the plans and thoughts will come to fruition,
and
my hope won’t be ashamed.
