Welcome to Abundant Love, an eight day email series exploring God’s rich love for us through Scripture and story. Today’s devotional was written by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller.
“Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
Reflection
One summer I walked 500 miles across northern Spain. Yellow arrows guided my way along the pilgrimage route known as the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims from across the world walked this path with the same goal — to reach Santiago de Compostela where a grand cathedral houses the relics of St. James.
From the moment I started walking, I experienced the camaraderie of fellow pilgrims. People who couldn’t speak the same language were able to communicate through hand motions, smiles, the sharing of food and silence. It was clear that we were all in this together. There was no competition, only a shared desire to help one another reach the goal of arriving at the cathedral.
One pilgrim I met shared with me, “We all have the same needs — to find a place to stay and to get food.” It was such a gift to walk in a community where the hopes of others became my hopes. Where the pain someone experienced was my pain. Where joy and celebration were experienced together in community. We were the body of Christ bound to one another.
This was love; this was community. This is God’s desire for us.
God’s love for God’s people delights not in who is the best or who has acquired the most or who is actually the most faithful. Rather, God delights in our desire to know God. God calls us children of God not for what we’ve done but for whose we are. God’s love encourages us to cheer for others in their joy, and to sit with them in their sadness.
In the kingdom of God, there is always enough for each of us. God’s way is one of abundance, a shared sense that this world is better because we journey through it together as one body with many members.
Questions for pondering
Is there something or someone that you feel in competition with? Share your feelings with God. Ask God to take away the envy and fill your heart with a spirit of generosity.
Who in your life is working towards a goal or project for which you can cheer them on?
Practice for the day
Take time to cheer someone on today. Send a text, make a phone call, write an email, comment on a social media post. Let them know that you value them. Share your appreciation for their presence and the gifts they are bringing into the world.
Prayer
God of abundance,
open my eyes to your beauty —
in a sunset
in children’s laughter
in gathering for a meal
in cheering on friends
in conversations
and, importantly,
the beauty in myself,
of being your beloved child.Amen.
Thanks for joining us for day two of your Abundant Love devotional!
We'll see you tomorrow for day three of our series: The God who nourishes you.