more than words

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

sometimes, i wonder how it is that people really communicate with one another--is it really through words, or even through actions? today, my dad and i went to the supermarket to buy some ice cream for our movie night. when the woman in front of us saw that we were eyeing the 15 items or less line, she smiled at us warmly and said, "you can go ahead of me." we thanked her profusely and took her gracious offer. what i realized afterwards was that it was not so much what she said or did that left a strong impression on me, but the way in which she said and did it. there was a language she seemed to be speaking in between the lines of the reality that i saw and heard. i felt love from this stranger.

through various events this past week, i am beginning to think that words and actions are mere tools for a deeper language of the heart. i felt that God was trying to teach me that this is how i am to communicate with His people. psychologist-educator robert valett once said, "the human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand." i think i might have gotten a taste of this through this small, 1-minute encounter at the supermarket.