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The Gesture


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. Love never fails. (I Corinthians 13:4-8a) 


            Love always protects. Hurray! Something positive love does!  But – we’re talking about our love for God. How silly. The Almighty needing my protection? There is one person from whom I thought God needed my protection: from me. I can’t say I do a good job. I also thought it was a natural inclination on my part to argue on His behalf. I can’t say I do a good job of that, either. Now I’m wondering if it might just be n natural inclination of love. That’s not a bad thing, though it dings my ego a little for some reason. That’s OK. 
           I don’t think it matters that God doesn’t need our protection. It doesn’t matter that we’re all like toddlers trying to fight a pack of Velociraptors or even a great T-Rex. What matters is that it is born of love for Him. It’s the gesture that counts, if it is really an act of love.

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