Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

We pray for many things, for many reasons. We might pray for a sports team victory or to heal a broken heart. We might pray for physical, emotional, spiritual healing. No prayer is too bold to bring before God, and yet it is always important to recognize it is God’s will and not our own that leads and guides our lives. In one way or another, much of our prayers are centered around love; whether it is praying to experience God’s love directly or because we love someone. So, as I write this blog, I want you to think and pray about who you love.

I pray to model the love in Corinithians in my home and with my actions toward my husband (he would say I do well, and I would say I fall short). I learned from a friend to pray for the future spouses of my children. This helps me remember that someday they will have an opportunity to experience God through the sacramental rite of marriage.  It reminds me that my small children will soon grow up, and eventually they will be focused upon their spouse.

The care you showed me when I shared about my brother’s late wife has been very touching. Each of you showed me the kind of compassion that Paul writes about in Corinthians. The rest of the story from my younger brother includes prayer. After Kasey died, I  prayed for Alec and their daughter, Cambria. I prayed that Cambria would find comfort and have a continued deep bond with her father. For Alec, I prayed for peace and I prayed that God would bring someone into his life that would love him in the way Paul wrote about God.

As some of you know, I have a prayer list, and when I came to Alec’s name I was hoping that he would find someone who was patient with his continued grief and love of his first wife.  This person, I hoped, would not be envious of this past marriage, rather would appreciate the way in which the experience shaped him into the person he is now; a dutiful human being, father, and airman. I prayed for someone who would be kind to Alec; who would love him for his character and share in his pastimes (possibly even video games). I prayed this person would be honest and have an enduring spirit, and be willing to commit to him.

Alec and his beautiful bride Emily were married last year (during the pandemic) and this week they welcomed their son, Otis, into this world. Emily is more than I could have expected. God had great plans for this family. Emily embraces all of Alec (they even play video games together), cook together, and dream together. The first time I saw them as a couple, I noticed how Emily looked at Alec with absolute love. She is kind and honest. They are playful and laugh a lot, and then they affectionately talk with each other about serious topics. I appreciate how they have developed a shared vision for their marriage. 

Emily is a delightful and thoughtful person. She is friendly without being pushy and an avid reader. She enjoys seeing into different worlds. Remember I mentioned that enduring spirit? She is a veteran and serves in the Air Force. She is a dedicated stepmother and aunt (her niece Faith is particularly enamored of her style). It was not surprising that Alec seemed devoted to her and very much in love with her even during the first time I met Emily in 2018. Grace had met her before me on a trip to North Carolina, and she found her to be authentic. Emily was easy to fit into our family from the beginning. She is definitely an answer to my prayers for Alec and I have other prayers for her as well.

In your life, who has been an answer to your prayers? Who fulfills this passage in 1 Corinthians for you? I hope and pray many people in your life embody this love that Paul challenges the Corinthians to find. More than that, I hope you inspire others by your witness of God’s love.  Amen.

For His Sake,

Beth Anne