2538) When I taught Jr. High kids, we read a book that described the life of a teen who was captured by Stalin’s NKVD and eventually was held in a camp in Siberia.

Because I wanted the kids to consider the strong message of the story, before we read any of it, I held an envelope in my hand and told the kids that the message inside would reveal the name of the most powerful weapon anyone has ever had.

We don’t open the envelope until the end of the book, but when we do, the message of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 was evident. The card within held the word  love. The room was usually quiet in contemplation of this.

Love is the motivator, healer, encourager, soother, and protector. The most powerful isn’t someone with the loudest mouth, the biggest gun, or the clever manipulator.

The good news is, we all hold the ability to love within our hands. The hard news is choosing to love can strip away a lot of things many hold as valuable in this life. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres, even when the darkest moments happen in this life.