Love Sees the Good

The earth and every good thing in it belongs to the Lord and is yours to enjoy. I CORINTHIANS 10:26 TLB 

My youngest daughter doesn’t share my love of birds. She adores elephants, but the farther away from her a bird stays, the happier she is. And she has a special disdain for seagulls. Especially when she’s relaxing in her beach chair and I pull out my snack stash. The seagulls must have amazing eyesight, hearing, and intuition. They seem to know when I’m thinking about grabbing a snack, and as soon as I start rustling through my bag, they all come running toward us. Swooping and running. At which point my daughter and I agree. Seagulls are not on our list of “good things in the earth” for us to enjoy. I’m sure there are gull lovers out there, we just aren’t among them. 

I’m thankful the earth and every good thing in it belongs to God and was created for us to enjoy. But because each of us is unique, the things we enjoy are unique. Some of us love the mountains and don’t care to have sand on/in every part of us to spend the day on a beach. Some of us enjoy whitewater rafting down a river while others would rather hike to a secluded spot and listen to the sound of the wind moving through the trees. The one true thing is that God had each one of us in mind when He created this beautiful earth. He knows us personally, loves us unconditionally, and delights in our joy. 

The one thing we should always enjoy seeing good in is each other. That’s what love does, and that’s what God is. He’s very patient and kind. He isn’t easily angered or irritable. He doesn’t hold our wrongs against. He’s truth and justice. He’s faithful to us, no matter what. He sees the best in us and wants the best for us. God is good all the time, and loving people the way He does brings out all the good in them. We aren’t here to judge, criticize, or change anyone. We’re here to love each other more because we love our Creator most. 

Father, fill me with Your love and light, give me patience and gentleness, and show me the joy in showing Your heart to others today. 

This is an excerpt from The Beach is Calling: 90 Devotions for Rest & Relaxation – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.