Kathy
DeKalb High School – Auburn, Indiana
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35 (MSG)
A Story from my Life
I don’t think my high school was very different from others. We had the popular kids and the loners, the athletes and the band members; groups were formed from these interests. I’m not saying you can’t be in more than one “group” at a time, but for the most part, we all hung with one main group of friends. So when someone didn’t fit into ANY group, they stuck out like a sore thumb! Kathy was that person at my high school.
Kathy was different. Kathy had a disability.
She was fun, energetic, and the biggest fan at all the school sporting events! She usually wore a big smile on her face, so everyone noticed when she was having a bad day. Kathy was different, but that didn’t keep her from being popular.
When you think about it, it was really special! The whole school embraced her handicap, overlooked her mental limitations, and welcomed her into their circle of friends! I’m really proud of myself and my classmates for looking past Kathy’s physical appearance to see the warm and loving person within. That’s one way I define love: to reach out to others with kindness, respect, and dignity. Everyone knew Kathy and to know her was to love her!
Conversation Starters
- Do you know someone who has a physical or mental disability?
- How do you treat them? How do your friends, or classmates, act around them?
- Love isn’t just physical. From the story above, how is love defined?
An Adult Perspective
There are thousands of books, songs, and websites attempting to capture the essence of love. But more often than not, these sources have us confusing love, an outward Christ-like action, with lust, an inward self-indulgent desire. In scripture, Paul defines love quite simply: “Love is patient and kind.” 1st Corinthians 13:4 (ESV)
Patience is the ability to bring peace and calm to a brewing perfect-storm. Patience provides us with the wisdom to control our emotions instead of letting our emotions control us. Kindness is taking the initiative, being the first one: to compromise, to be gracious and helpful, and to offer forgiveness.
Love is a verb.
Love is patience and kindness in action, a choice we make (or neglect to make) each day. God intended love to be evidence of the Holy Spirit working through us as we choose to love Him and others. Love is a verb, an action word, as we deliberately putting the thoughts and feelings of others before our own selfish desires. “Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.” 1 John 3:18 (NLT)
Love the people in your life. And if necessary, use words!
