These Three Remain
1 Corinthians 13:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Light fills the darkness, the silence is broken by songs of joy, and the cold of winter is replaced by warm fires in fireplaces. Christmas is transformative. It can change a season of darkness and bitter cold into a season of faith, hope, and love.
In the book of 1 Corinthians is found a chapter that has been read at numerous weddings that I have attended over the years. It details the attributes of love and concludes with the statement that “now these three remain: faith, hope,and love. But the greatest of these is love.” It is an appropriate passage to be read and celebrated at weddings. I had never associated it with grief until this passage of scripture stood out to me in the days following the loss of my son. Over and over, these words were brought to my attention in various forms. I had to remind myself that the words of scripture contain the same truth on our darkest days as they did in our happiest moments.
When we were faced with the loss of a child, it seemed like everything had been torn away and we are left with nothing but emptiness. When the dust clouds of destruction disappeared, we found some things still remain. When nothing else seemed important, three pillars rose out of the ashes. All three would be vital components of my survival in the days that followed.
In the days following my son’s accident, I was driven back to the fundamentals of my faith. I began to review the attributes of God. Although I will never be able to make sense of my son’s death, there is One who is able to understand it completely. I chose to trust. I chose faith in the One who is holy, righteous, sovereign, eternal, unchanging, all knowing, all powerful, and loving instead of trusting in my feelings alone. Day after day I would study how each attribute impacted the events that happened on the day that I lost my son.
As I studied each attribute of God, my focus changed from loss to hope. The hope that God offers us transforms darkness into light. The same God that understands our darkest day, waits for us in the light of Heaven. Our hope looks forward to a day when the silence of grief is replaced with the rejoicing sounds of reunion. Warms embraces will replace the bitter cold of separation. Hope will prevail.
When faith and hope replace confusion and despair, we are motivated to love again. We love the One who provided a way of escaping the pain associated with grief and death. We are also moved to love others with deeper conviction. Grief and love are closely associated. Grief exists because we first loved. Our love remains even when we are separated from the one we love. This is grief. Faith and hope allow this love to live on in the form of expectations of a day of reunion.
Christmas can transform our cities and towns. Dark and cold streets are transformed into beautiful wonderlands. The true meaning behind the Christmas season can transform our hearts in the same way. Faith displaces doubt, hope replaces despair, and love overcomes grief. When all else seems lost, these three remain.
Response:
Just as the lights of Christmas must be plugged in each night to transform the darkness, we must return to faith, hope, and love each time the darkness of grief and despair try to overtake our lives. What are some ways we can return to faith, hope, and love?
