Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13.4-7 (NRSV)
This description covers all types of love and it describes God, because God is love.
Love is patient.
"Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry. When you get impatient you only start to worry. Remember, remember that God is patient too, and think of all the times when others have to wait for you."
"Patience (Herbert the Snail)"from Music Machine--the Fruit of the Spirit,written by Frank Hernandez & Sherry Sunders Powell.© 1977 Sparrow Song.
I feel like this is telling us to stay calm. Just chill, we can't control anyone else's behaviour and they're gonna do what they're gonna do, so why get all worked up?
Easier said than done, of course. It takes a lot of counting to ten and slow, deep breaths some days. I think that when we love someone we understand their limitations and we make allowances for those. It can still be frustrating, but understanding where someone is at can really help our ability to be patient with them.
Patience is an attitude but it is also a behaviour. We can treat others with patience even if we're feeling frazzled and rushed. (That's where the deep breaths and counting to ten come in.)
Love is kind.
I sometimes feel like people don't understand what kindness is. I'm not sure I do either, but here's what I think I know about kindness.
Kindness is treating people with respect even if I don't think they deserve it.
Kindness is understanding that people are worth being treated well because they were created by God and are loved by God.
Kindness is helping someone when I'm able, even if I don't feel like it, because that is respect and loving.
Kindness truly is love in action. You can't be kind if you aren't doing something for/to someone else. That's the point.
Love rejoices in the truth.
As Christians, we believe that there is objective Truth, and that it begins and ends in God. Relativism has no place in Christianity: "my truth" isn't Truth at all, it is my experience and perception. And that's okay! But let's use the correct words to describe things.
Yes, that means that Christians believe that Christianity is the only True religion, the one True way to live this life in a way that is pleasing to God. And that is uncomfortable, because we don't like to think that the people we love aren't living good lives if they believe differently from us.
Here's the thing about that: if we reject Truth by suggesting that all religious beliefs are valid, is that actually loving? I would say it isn't. It isn't kind to tell people that their beliefs are just as true as Christianity: it's a lie.
At the same time, you can treat people who believe differently with respect. You can take an interest in their faith and learn more about it. Learning about other faiths can help you understand your own faith better. And then it will equip you to teach others about the Truth.
Love bears all things.
Other translations show this as possibly meaning "love always protects" or "love is supportive". Both work here.
The point is that love isn't easy. It means giving of yourself for the benefit of others. Giving time, giving talent, giving things and assistance and a listening ear.
Love believes all things.
This one is about trust. If we love someone, we trust them. I do think that if someone shows that they are untrustworthy in some area, we don't have to trust them there but we can still love them; love doesn't mean we don't protect ourselves. But I also think that love is trustworthy, and someone who loves you will not break your trust.
Love hopes all things.
"Hope" in Biblical terms doesn't always mean wishing for something. For example, we have "the certain hope of heaven" (John 14.6), which means that we know we will be in heaven someday.
What I think is that the real meaning of "hope" has been diluted over time, so now it's more like wishing for something out of reach. I think it used to be a word used for things we knew would happen in the future, that gave us strength to continue. I know I will be with God after death, and that buoys me through the hard times of this life.
That makes sense to me, but I know it might not for everyone.
Love endures all things.
Love never ends. It continues in spite of everything. It bolsters our spirits when life is hard.
As I said above, we need to protect ourselves sometimes. Some people are not safe to be around, and it's necessary to stay away from them. That doesn't mean you don't still love them; it means you recognize that they are unable to love you right now.
'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' He said to him, '"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.'
Matthew 22.36-40 (NRSV)
I summarize these two greatest laws as "Love God with everything you are; love yourself; and love others."
Love is a verb. It is what we do for others. We are called to be patient, kind, hopeful, truthful, protective and supportive, and both trustworthy and trusting.
I'll continue this exploration next time. As always, I'm not sure where I'm going with this series, but it's something I've been thinking about recently and wanting to try and explain. So ask questions in the comments and share your thoughts about what I've said, and if all goes well I'll post Part II next Sunday.
Peace & Blessings, everyone.
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