July 1
Scripture: 1 Cor 13:13
Source author: Nora Peacock
July 1
Love for a Lifetime Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13
Ray signed out of the visitors’ logbook and offered me a weak smile. His teary eyes met mine as I reassured him that his presence comforted his precious wife of fifty-eight years. His daily visit ended, and he trudged out the locked door of the dementia facility where I worked. Day after day, Genevieve wrestles a wheelchair to get in and out of her car and come see her husband, formerly an oral surgeon, who now depends on others to feed him. Genevieve’s shoulders slump with fatigue, and still she lovingly stands by her man. Bert huffs and puffs after walking from the assisted living center next door. Weakened by emphysema, he exerts heroic effort on the daily trek to visit his wife. An hour later, he returns to the lobby and rests a moment, his face drawn in grief after leaving the love of his life behind. Ray, Genevieve, and Bert will return tomorrow, even though their spouses have forgotten their names. No wonder 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter of the Bible, proclaims that of faith, hope, and love, “the greatest of these is love.”
May our love for others endure, no matter the cost. — Nora Peacock —