As much as generations battle with each other about hairstyles and music, one would think that one has no use for the other. And yet, it is fascinating how earnestly each seeks affirmation from the other, even if they pretend to be indifferent.
When I was on the cusp of adulthood, the “old people” were very much my refuge in social circles. It was funny that despite their opinions of dress and media, they always took time to speak to a young person. They asked about life and struggles, hopes, aspirations. Whether you were fat or thin, beautiful or plain, remarkable or average did not matter to them. With them it always seemed I had a chance to be regarded as a person of value. Perhaps it was a testament to their breeding, or maybe they had nothing left to prove by snobbery. But to be noticed by them worked like balm upon a soul raw with uncertainty.
Now, as I age, I begin to see the same light spark in the eyes of a young person when he realizes I know his name or greet him in the store. Love is what we were made to know and experience. It is what we all crave. If we give it a chance to flow out of us, perhaps we will be amazed at how far it can run and how deeply it can work in a life.
I Corinthians 13:9-10 states that knowledge and prophecy are “in part.” They are not whole or complete. However, when what is “perfect” (or complete without defect) comes, the partial will fade away. What is the perfection of which Paul speaks? Since he is speaking of God’s Agape love, it is logical that he would link the operation of Agape love to God’s wholeness. They are related. Why? Firstly, because Agape is one of God’s foundational character traits. Secondly, because Agape is whole, it mends our eyesight, which can be greatly distorted by emotion. It causes us to see beyond finite knowledge to entireties, which brings understanding we would never have otherwise.
Why does this wholeness of sight matter? We jump to conclusions based upon false facts. We decide against people because of bad habits or darkened relationships, but God sees what can be when He heals us. Embracing Agape’s holy illumination scours our perceptions and ideas until we begin to see and think like God does.
Whether you are young or old, you matter. Your friendship matters. Kindness and generosity matter. You may be the one whose simple, cheerful greeting may turn someone else’s life into a healthier path of hope and healing.