Faith, Hope and Love, as Acronyms

Opportunities to help appear anywhere.

Some years ago, while I was making rounds as part of my nursing home ministry, I saw one of the staff members in tears. I stopped and asked her why she was crying. It is not uncommon for the staff to develop relationships with the residents and, when they pass away, tears are frequent.

I thought she would say a resident had died. However, she had just recently become a Christian and was working on rebuilding relationships which had been damaged in the past, while she was still living a hedonistic lifestyle. That morning she received word one of her friends had died.  She was in tears because her friend had passed before she was able to apologize for past behaviors.

The young woman said  she was certain her friend was in Heaven since she had been a Christian, but she still felt terrible because she had not apologized.

My response to her was, while I was not a graduate of any school of divinity, I had been trying to follow a certain Unemployed Jewish Carpenter for a bit of time. I reminded her if her friend was in Heaven, then all she would know or see or feel was love. There would be no remorse, no ill feelings, no anger or distress, simply love.

“How do you know this is so?”

I suggested she look at 1 Cor 13:13 and depending on the translation used, she would easily understand. Many Protestant denominations, will utilize the KJV ( King James Version ) of the Holy Bible. These  KJV translations list the three most enduring qualities as “faith, hope and charity.” I  use modern translations which list the same qualities as faith, hope and love. (Compare translations at https://www.biblegateway.com/)

The most enduring . . .

Paul, the author of 1 Corinthians, says  the most enduring is love and the reason is simple.

People who are in Heaven do not need to have faith that someday they may get to Heaven; they are there in the presence of God, the angels, and the other saints. People who are in Heaven need not have hope because they do not have to hope they can live good enough, be good enough, try hard enough.

With faith and hope disposed of, this only leaves love. If we take Paul at his word, and the only thing left is love, there could be no regrets, no distress, no anger. This means all her friend could feel and respond to was love. Love for everyone she ever knew, everyone she never knew, simply everyone. The young woman thanked me, told me she was comforted and after a hug, she returned to work with a smile.

Faith, Hope, and Love as acronyms . . .

The following week, as she and I met in the hallway, we had the opportunity to chat for a few moments. I mentioned while Paul had not said it, faith, hope, and love were glorious acronyms that would hold her in good stead as her journey into Christianity progressed.

FAITH is a description of what promises to be a:

Fabulous

Adventure

In

Trusting

Him

Faith is what allowed my wife and I to simply listen to the suggestions of the Creator and leave for the Upper Plains, even though we were 50 years old, married for 30 years, and firmly established in New England.  This move meant family, friends and our lives would be disrupted. In fact, we did not know if we were ever to return to New England. God said, “Go” and we went. It did take Him about 2 years to convince me, but we went. The adventure brought us from the Upper Plains to Texas where I met this young Christian. This move  meant I was in the right spot and time to meet her.

HOPE is how we are to live our days.

Hanging

On;

Praying

Expectantly

Christ has told us whatever we ask for in His name will be granted so the Father may be glorified. There are multiple citations for this belief (such as John 14:13). He did not say it would be given immediately. He did not say we could simply ask and then move to the next topic. He said, “Ask”. So, we ask with an attitude of supplication rather than begging and we continue to put one foot in front of the other and do the next right thing, always looking up for guidance.

This then leaves LOVE:

Living

Our

Values

Everyday

Quite simply this means we must react to people, issues, and situations on Wednesday afternoon the same as we would on Sunday morning. There is nothing in our lives which will make us change our values. If the idea of padding an expense report is wrong while you are in the pew on Sunday morning, it is just as wrong on Tuesday morning while in the line at the coffee shop. Clothing that is inappropriate for a church service is probably just as inappropriate for a teenage girl to wear on a date. If it is wrong, inappropriate, or questionable in one circumstance, it is wrong, inappropriate, or questionable in all circumstances.

This concept is loosely related to the way a person develops his/her character.

These three then . . .

She asked, “Is that really all there is to this?” I responded, “Yup, Faith, Hope, and Love.  Try it for the next 3 weeks.  Each time a situation comes up think ‘Faith, Hope or Love?’ Answer that question and react accordingly.” We would pass each other in the hallways for the next few weeks, and each time, she would smile and say, ‘Yes, each situation falls into one of the three’.”

Several months later, she had given her notice so she could pursue her career at a different facility. She took me aside and told me she had shared the acronyms with many people and they had each found them to be useful, easy to implement and easy to follow.

Try it.  As each issue presents itself, ask, “Does this involve Faith/Trust, Hope/Prayer, or Love/Character.”