speak LOVE.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 

The woman's restroom is a funny place. You go in there to, well like it says, use the restroom but among the porcelain toilets and rows of sinks, some of the truest female interactions take place. Like they always say, a woman never goes to the restroom alone. And why not? Well, a restroom is the place where girls can be themselves the most. There is no pressure to impress the boys, no need to worry about how tacky it looks picking your teeth in the mirror, and it is often a safe place to express how you really feel. Girls, spend a lot of time in the bathroom. And it just so happens that when girls go in the bathroom they chat. 

So this afternoon when I headed to the restroom, I was immediately aware of the chatting going on behind the stalls. Two woman were conversing about something, which I could not quite make out.  I continued to listen as I went along with my business because, to be honest, I am nosey.  I could not distinguish the words. It all kind of blended together and I could not tell if the women were speaking with accents or in a different language all together. I could not tell you anything the woman shared with each other.  And I could not even tell you what the woman looked like because I never saw the women, they exited the restroom before I could.  

However, I could tell you a couple things just from hearing them. First of all, I could tell that they shared friendship. The tone in their voices and the giggles between words were enough to tell me that. And second, I could tell without a doubt that their words to each other were kind and spoken out of love. I did not have to know what they were saying to know they were saying it out of love. 

There are so many different languages in the world. So many different types of people. So many opinions and beliefs and ways of life. And there are only a few things that I know that transcend those barriers. Each of us come from different places and our lives will lead us in different directions, but the one thing we all have in common is love. I heard it in those voices. I see it in strangers' embraces. And ultimately I hope that I reflect it in the way I live my life. 

We all have voices to speak. We know words and we have expressions. If a stranger heard your words, what would they discover? The language of love transcends all things. Will a stranger see love in you? Will they hear love in your conversations? Will they encounter God's ultimate gift to each of us in their brief encounter with you? 

The woman's restroom is a strange place. It is a social center for a woman's world. And it just so happens that it could be a central station for love. My life was impacted by that brief encounter with two woman I never saw and will never see. And it was not impacted because of their accomplishments or their beauty or their gifts. It was impacted by the fact that in the simple moment I overheard their conversation full of love. And love transcends bathroom stalls and languages and any disagreements. Love is the only thing that every living person shares. 

Speak love.