Without Love, I Am Nothing - Grit & Grace

“If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2 CEB

Being nothing.

What does it mean to be nothing? I don’t know if I’ve ever felt as if I was nothing. I’ve felt miserable and worthless plenty of times in my life. But nothing? I’ve never felt as if I were nothing. The closest I come to feeling like nothing is when I’m overlooked. Whether it’s real or imagined, being ignored gives you a taste of what being nothing must feel like. If I’m seen, known, and loved, then I wouldn’t be ignored. I am something.

Nothing means not any thing.  Something that does not exist. No value, no size.

The opposite of being nothing is being something. I am something. I’ve been traveling on the road towards wholeness long enough to believe that statement. It’s a positive affirmation. After I type it, I immediately feel compelled to list all the components I can think of that describe what kind of something I am.

I’m a human, woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. I’m a writer, speaker, teacher, encourager, coach, fitness instructor. Do the things I do make me who I am? Does how I do these things impact the something that I truly am?

Nothing comes from nothing.

If you didn’t hear Julie Andrews singing that, can we even be friends?

I watched The Sound of Music last week. It’s probably one of my favorite musicals of all time. I still remember watching it as a child, and that opening scene on a hilltop in the German Alps – magical.

The gift of prophecy has always seemed that way to me – some magical way out on a hilltop somewhere kind of spiritual gift.

Because that second verse in 1 Corinthians 13 starts off with the gift of prophecy – a gift I don’t have – I tend to just skim over it and not pay much attention. It doesn’t pertain to me, so I just move on. Prophecy seems like this mystical, faraway, fantastic thing that is simply out of my reach.

Inspired words predicting something to come. Messages from God to his people, spoken and written through the prophets.

Should I only pay attention to the gifts I’ve been given?

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1

I think that might be my cue to give the gift of prophecy more than just the occasional passing glance.

Nothing without love.

Knowledge of a thing does not = love of the thing.

Case in point: I know plenty about cooking, but I don’t love it.

What a gift it is to know things, though. I love to know things, to have understanding. What would it be like to understand all mysteries and all knowledge? To have all knowledge – to know all. the. things.

There’s power and authority that comes from knowing things. Knowing God’s word leads to speaking God’s word with understanding, and the more we walk in that, the better we get at it. As confidence grows, power grows right along with it. Knowledge is power, or so the saying goes.

Think about it: perceiving things others can’t and knowing things others don’t is a pretty powerful gift. Possessing insight and understanding that others may not have, particularly when that insight and understanding come from God, his word, and his Spirit is a powerful thing indeed.

Power without love is a dangerous thing.

To have control, authority, or influence over another person or group of people is a big responsibility. That’s why love is the most excellent way to exercise this gift. I’m sure most of us have experienced what it feels like to have someone in authority over you that doesn’t love you. Maybe you’ve been on the authority side of that equation.

Love means that someone else’s interests are more important than mine. Using the gift of insight and knowledge I’ve been given to prove I’m right, prove my point, or to win an argument is NOT love. Actually, it’s loving myself, and looking out for my best interest.

No matter how much power knowledge brings, the person who exercises that gift without love is nothing. They won’t just feel like a nothing – they’ll be nothing.

I’m reminded once again that the gifts I’m given shouldn’t be my main focus in life. That’s not the evidence of a life well-lived, or the growth I should be looking out for.

The love that the gifts are used with is the evidence, not the gifts. Click To Tweet

Without love, I am nothing.

Becky is a Miami native, and has lived here all of her life. Married to her husband for over 20 years, they lead a very active lifestyle along with their three teenagers and Riley, their rescue dog. Becky loves to teach, and has had the awesome privilege of home educating her children for over twelve years. When not teaching academics, Becky loves to equip, encourage, and empower women through the teaching of her group fitness classes. Becky and her husband lead various ministries, and their family loves to serve the community through the countless opportunities provided over the past twenty years+ in their local church. She enjoys filling her "free" time with reading, writing, watching movies, and just spending time with the family. Becky has a passion for living her life with grit and grace, and encouraging others to do the same.