Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories that shape us — the ones we carry, the ones we return to, and the ones that quietly form as we become who we are.

If I’m honest, growing up, I never really enjoyed reading. Sitting still was hard for me, and books just didn’t hold my attention for long. But somewhere along the way, something shifted.

In my thirties, I fell in love with books.

Books became more than just words on a page. They became a place of escape, rest and reflection. So what shifted in my reading journey? I have come to realize that it wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy reading; I just hadn’t found the right stories yet.

That brings me to my current read, “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi. It’s the first book I have read in a long time that I genuinely don’t want to end. I won’t spoil anything, but there’s a quote on the back cover that I have been ruminating on:

For anything to be good, truly good, there must be love in it. Whether the art is sculpture, farming, teaching, lawmaking, medicine, music, or raising a child — nothing is what it’s supposed to be if love is not at the core.  – from “Theo of Golden”

I love that. And truly, it’s hard not to hear the echo of 1 Corinthians 13 in those words.

The apostle Paul reminds us that no matter what we do — no matter how gifted, accomplished, or even sacrificial we may be, if our actions are not rooted in love, they ultimately amount to nothing.

This is especially true for us as followers of Jesus.

Love isn’t something we add to our faith; love is the very center of it. It shapes how we serve, how we lead, how we speak and how we live. Remember, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

So maybe the question for us this week is simple: Is love at the core?

When it is, even the ordinary becomes something truly beautiful.