Many a wedding couple choose 1 Corinthians 13 for their reading. These are the familiar verses beginning, "Love is patient..." The passage has an even more poignant observation as the climax: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

That's a great recipe for enduring success, isn't it?

I recently heard Andy Haynes present on the need to stop making excuses and take action. At the age of 6, he was listening to Radio 2 with his Dad. He boldly declared, "Dad, that's what I'm going to do!" His Dad said, "I know son, I know." True to his commitment, Andy became a Breakfast Show presenter and producer for BBC Hereford and Worcester. Andy then went on to explain that at the age of 6 he had the worst stammer he'd ever heard. A lad with a speech impediment became a celebrated presenter!

What struck me about this was the power of Andy's Dad's words to create faith. So, goal one for us today might be to speak encouragement into someone's life so that they might grow their faith in what is possible for them in the here and now. To help someone believe in themselves is a worthwhile achievement.

Hope is to do with the future and the unseen. Our words can bring hope too. We can capture someone's imagination with a vision of a better future, yet unseen. Sometimes our friends can be cast down by their circumstances. It can take our bolder vision to lift their eyes to see that better future in the distance.

Love is a funny word. I prefer kindness as this, for me, brings to my mind "acts of kindness". There's a wonderful old-fashioned word called "loving-kindness" - a phrase that fills my heart with 'warm-fuzzies'!

I would consider today a day well spent if my words and my deeds could bring hope, faith and a sense of being loved into the lives of others. And my creative self loves this challenge.

"Now these three remain..."

Lex

A Moodscope member.