On Friday I was working on my pastoral prayer. Reading 1 Corinthians 13, I was reminded that love is patient and I reflected on how important it is to wait and let things happen in God's time. My wife Debbie was heading out of the house and I gave her the blessing Godspeed. I chuckled with her when I mentioned that Godspeed didn't sound like waiting for things to take place in God's time. Or does it?

I Googled the etymology of Godspeed and rediscovered that it is a blessing for success. Troops going off to battle were given such a blessing. Battles are neither quick nor their outcomes assured. Neither is life for that matter. Perhaps 1 Corinthians 13 is Paul's way of saying Godspeed to us, the body of Christ.

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, 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.
-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

How do you define your success?

How would the way you view success be transformed if you used this scripture verse as the lens through which you viewed that life to which God calls you?

When I view my life through this lens, I see that I have a long way to go on my journey of love.  That's okay in my book; however, because love is patient and Godspeed is much slower than my impatient mind thinks.

Godspeed my friends!

Prayer for Today

Eternal God, grant us the gift of faith that sees you at work in all of life. Teach us your ways of love and inspire us to seek first your Kingdom. Amen.