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Brides and grooms exchange vows while expressing its eternal value.  Automobile enthusiasts often have a brand loyalty that mimics it.  Their attention to care and upkeep of their vehicle can be passionate.  Devotion to pets is often an expression of its deep and profound impact on lives. Youth can fall in and out of it with an amazing rapidity.  Poets have extolled its virtues and songwriters have exposed both the heights of its ecstasy and the depths of its despair. A song credited to Lennon/McCartney declared it was all we needed. While expression of it is forthcoming in the most unselfish of ways, often it is displayed in self-centred and self-seeking mannerisms.  By now you know I am writing about, “LOVE”.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the practical elements of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 where he declared, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

While we proclaim the virtues and say we believe in its great importance in our lives we often fail to express it in the most basic of ways in our daily lives.  This is especially true as it relates to both patience and kindness.  Our own self interests very quickly over-rule our demonstration of love. Think about how you reacted to the person at the head of the line who you perceived was slowing things down.  How about those drivers “in your way” on the highway.  Were your responses filled with loving kindness and patience or were you feeling, and maybe even expressing unloving, unkind and impatient thoughts and words?

I want to share with you an illustration recently that challenged me to think about making sure love gets expressed in patience and kindness in our daily lives.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by any who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: “When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?” The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. “I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.”

He then told the following story. Shay and his Dad had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, “Do you think they will let me play?” Shay’s Dad knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but he also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay’s Dad approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, “We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we will try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.” Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Dad watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the Dad’s joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but were still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his dad waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, there was a major decision to be made–do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay did not even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball as hard as possible right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach of all of his team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, “Shay, run to first! Run to first!” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, “Run to second, run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded second base, the right fielder had the ball. He was the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, “Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!” Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, “Run to third! Shay, run to third!” As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and the spectators were on their feet screaming, “Shay, run home! Run home!” Shay ran to home base, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

“That day,” said the Dad softly with tears now rolling down his face, “the boys from both teams reached out and expressed true love.” Shay did not make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Dad so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mom tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

It is time for every one of us to step out of the box, step out of our comfort zone, step out of the church setting and really be Jesus Christ to the world. What do you have to lose? Nothing -it is all His anyway. We just have to live like we really believe what we believe is really real.

We need to find ways to make sure that love finds expression through the patience and kindness we demonstrate to others on a daily basis.