On my spiritual journey, I have recently encountered a self-bible study workbook, titled simply, “Love Is” by Hannah Walton. Here is a plug for Ms. Hannah, a woman whom I don’t even know.

As patron to the simplified, I think this is something I could pattern my whole life on. The foundation for the workbook is taken from the 13^th chapter of first Corinthians.

If you have ever been to a trailer park wedding in your entire life, it is likely that you have heard these verses from I Corinthians 13:4-8:

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never fails.

Since love is God and God is love, Ms. Hannah invites us to re-read this scripture replacing the word ‘love’ with the word ‘God.’ Oh My! What a difference in meaning this takes on!

God is patient.

God is kind.

God does not envy.

God is not jealous or boastful.

God is not rude.

God does not seek his own way.

God is not provoked.

God keeps no record of wrongs.

God thinks no evil, nor does he rejoice in it but celebrates the truth.

God bears all things.

God believes all things.

God hopes all things.

God endures all things.

God never fails.

Spiritually, this is it in a nutshell.

If love is God, and God is love; then God is all of these things.

Yours,

Nadine Bodine

Your very BEST friend in the whole wide world