Love Sees the Good

Hi Friends!

Today is a very special day, because the post has a guest writer - my seester! She has a special message she has been thinking upon for a while, and I have to say, it's a pretty refreshing message to hear. I know I have benefitted from hearing it. :)

Without further ado….

Elisabeth Johnson, everybody...

Hey Soul Surfers,

I’m sure we are all familiar with the 1 Corinthians 13 “love passage.” I have read it many times, but I was recently reading this passage in “The Message” and one particular fragment of the passage really caught my attention.

“Love always looks for the best.” 

This is my new favorite sentence. I’ve thought about it every day since I rediscovered it. I’ve tweeted about it (I only tweet my best material…hahaha.) I’ve really made a conscious effort to make a change in my life based on it.

Love looks for the best in situations and in people, but this post will be mostly focused on looking for the best in people. 

Back in the spring, I planned a day full of fun things after I got off work on a Friday. This was a really long day (in retrospect, I probably planned way too much for a single day,) but the largest part of the day was to be spent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I had never been before, and I noticed on the website that they were having an exhibit called “Journey of a Dress," which showcased the work of designer Diane von Furstenberg. I knew I was going to love this exhibit, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it until I was right in the center of it.

It’s not a secret that I love clothes, but not just ordinary clothes. I love clothes rich in design...clothes with something special about them...something that sets them apart from the over-manufactured, cheap quality pieces we see all over the world today. I love a nice blazer, the perfect purse, anything chic & black, anything inspired by military, menswear, or equestrian...I even love the perfect Nike running shoe or workout outfit. 

The DVF exhibit was by far the highlight of my day. Inside were many mannequins placed on mirrored platforms all modeling a DVF original dress from past to present. There were probably at least a hundred mannequins modeling dresses of every length, color, and print, but they were all true to the DVF ‘wrap dress’ style. In fact, these dresses are extremely well-known for their iconic style---all with a waistline that is universally flattering. 

As I sat on a bench inside the room where all the dresses were, I was in awe. I was partially this way because as I said, I love clothes. There was something else that was mesmerizing me that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, though. I probably stayed in this one spot for over an hour before I decided that it was time to move on and see some of the other awesome things LACMA had to offer. I looked at European art for a while and then decided to get some coffee. I was midway to the coffee shop when I turned around and went straight for the DVF exhibit again (anything that distracts me from coffee must be pretty powerful, just saying). It was at the other end of the property, but I continued to walk until I got there...my feet were killing me by this point, but I didn’t care! I sat on the bench inside the exhibit again and was still mesmerized. There were a million distractions in the room, but I had tunnel vision for the dresses. I would wear any of these dresses. I didn’t care if it was a funky print, if it was short or long, or even if it was a pantsuit. You are probably wondering why I was so attracted to them. I finally realized that they all had one feature in common...their design. Their design was SO PERFECT that it had mesmerized me. I didn’t care if the dresses were purple leopard print (exaggeration) or some other print that is too funky to ever be considered by me. They each shared ONE FEATURE that was so beautiful.

When I think back to the verse in 1 Corinthians 13 that says, “Love always looks for the best.," I am reminded of my experience that day. What if I could look at people the way I looked at those dresses? What if I could find the one most beautiful part about them and focus on it so much that the things that I disliked became irrelevant? 

To me, that is what love is. As Christians, we are called to love each other. God loves us in a way that he “always looks for the best," yet as humans, we might forget to do this and sometimes treat others as if they are unlovable. Matthew 5:43-47 says, “If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.” True love is seeking out the best in a person, not simply loving a person because they are easy to love, because you have something in common with that person, etc. When individuals “look for the best” in others out of love, it is a sign of spiritual maturity. 

I have challenged myself to have “tunnel vision” like I had that day at the LACMA. I want to “look for the best” in others so much so that I focus on it as if there were no other factors to be considered. We know that we are to display brotherly love, but as with my experience with the dresses, we rarely realize the intensity to which we can do this until we are intently focused on “the best." 

This verse has really inspired me lately and I hope that it inspires you! Now cue Bob Marley’s “One Love” in the background...just kidding!

XOXO,

Elisabeth

P.S.-- I’ve attached some photos of the dresses, so you can feel like you were there, too! :)