“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. “

"Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting."- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

(Scripture Text: 1 Cor 4:1-5)

Brothers and sisters:

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ

and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Now it is of course required of stewards

that they be found trustworthy.

It does not concern me in the least

that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;

I do not even pass judgment on myself;

I am not conscious of anything against me,

but I do not thereby stand acquitted;

the one who judges me is the Lord.

Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,

until the Lord comes,

for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness

and will manifest the motives of our hearts,

and then everyone will receive praise from God.

Sometimes we picture a scowling God, a deity who is biding his time, just waiting to pounce on us for our transgressions. But today’s reading paints a very different picture. God the Father is indeed biding his time. But what he is really waiting for is his opportunity to praise every one of his children, no matter how many missteps we have made, no matter how flawed we may think we are.

Do you believe that your Father is searching out every trace of goodness within you so that he can lavish praise on you?

Every time you have sought to know him better, he has smiled. Every time your heart has been stirred by a breath of compassion for another child of his, he has recognized his love at work in you and tried to increase it. Every time you have made the smallest effort at self-discipline, he has happily blessed your sacrifice.

This truth about the way our Father looks at us can teach us how to treat each other. It can teach us to look for that spark of goodness God has placed in every person’s heart. Teachers of students with challenging behaviors like to focus on the positive instead of the negative. They try to “catch them being good.” Similarly, we can make it a point to always have something positive to say about the people in our lives. Even if the negative far outweighs the positive, we can remember the way God looks at us, and try our best to look at each other in the same way.

Remembering how God looks at us can also help us to find peace in ourselves. Failures don’t have to derail us. Missteps don’t have to become occasions for self-condemnation. Rather, they can be opportunities to learn how to do better. They can send us back to our Father, where we can receive his encouragement. God wants to give us his grace so that we can learn from our mistakes and keep building on the goodness he has shown us.