Love The 1 Cor 13 Way???

Three things under the Sun I understand not,
Four things that puzzle me,
The effect of alcohol on a drunk,
The power of love returned,
The effect of sleep on a man,
and the pain of the lack thereof of the above.

These seem to have the greatest power over man,
They will make him float,
Climb the highest mountain,
Achieve the loftiest goals,
Endure the greatest pains,
And be glad for meager gains.

But should he lack,
No rest shall he see,
No gain will be enough,
Until that state is changed,
That causes him to grieve.

They touch the body,
Affect the spirit,
And thrill the mind.

Oh that one could live without them!
You can if you have never known them...
Of them all of course,
The noblest is love,
Love, the Christ way.

But humanly can we love?
Can we love without expecting back?
Can we give endlessly and still be happy?
Is selfless a word we are comfortable with in our world?
Our idea of love is a romantic feel good emotion,
Based on being pleased, cared for as we do the same.
But what of that love that led Jesus to the cross?
That makes a mother go without to ensure her child has all?
That lets God stand us in our sin and not force us to love Him?

That is puzzling me today.
-
I want to love without expecting back,
To bless always, without condition,
To be happy without needing a reason,
To give without being asked....

Is that possible?

Faith, Hope, Always

You go to bed early because sleeping might blot out the world, you toss and turn, and then you decide to read a book because you are trying not to cry...
Finally you fall asleep.
You awaken in the morning and its like a nightmare you cannot switch off.
This blanket of sadness envelopes you and a shroud of hopelessness covers you...
Then suddenly the sun breaks through the clouds in a resplendent dawn and you see things differently...
Dawn always promises new things so all is not lost right?
You decide to fight this shroud...fling it off, drown in work, do something fun and pray incessantly when it threatens to cover you all over again...
At least make it last 'til tomorrow. Things will change then...hopefully.
Night comes, you thank God for making it through the day...nothing has changed... but hope has been added to the equation.

And that is the power of hope.

My hope is built on Christ alone...His constancy, His faithfulness,His knack for saving me from imminent ruin just at the last moment...somehow when all seems lost, He comes in.
Though sometimes you wish hope would just leave you alone because she seems to set you up for disappointment all the time...
That is faith. Having hope when there is no evidence she will come through for you.
Having a child when you are not sure you will live to see him grow.
Making vows when you are not sure in this land of sin and unfaithfulness that this marriage will pass the test of time.
Putting your hand in God's and following Him down a HARD path when you'd rather cop out.

That is faith.

So don't let go. Don't give up. Hold on to hope, hide under faith. Stubbornly cling to God's promise because one sure thing in the equation of life is that the devil always ends up looking the fool. The odds Always end up against him.
So, whom shall you believe huh?