“Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices
with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
(1
Corinthians 13:4-7)
The very first adjective that Paul
uses to describe love is the word PATIENT.
What does he really mean by using this term to describe love? Many people view the word love as a
noun. They look at it as something that
we possess or hold in our hearts. Others
view the word love as a verb, because it is seen as something that we do; an
action. Whichever way you look at it, Paul
says that it’s “patient.”
If we look at the word, patient, and
it’s definition we find:
1. capable of waiting: able to endure waiting, delay, or provocation
without becoming annoyed or upset
2. capable of persevering: able to persevere calmly, especially when
faced with difficulties
So, does this mean that love waits and
endures without becoming annoyed or upset?
Does it mean that it perseveres through difficulty in a calm manner? For Paul, apparently so.
But, how can we love patiently or
experience a patient love when everything in our society and culture speaks
contrary to this idea? Usually, when we
say that we love someone or believe that someone loves us, we automatically
start the clock. We begin to put
time frames on our lives and theirs simply because love is present. In relationships, people automatically start
planning the engagement or the wedding once someone used the term love.
I’d like to think, however, that love
is just the beginning of building a solid foundation for a relationship. It takes time to create the type of love that
Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13, which is why I think he started with “love
is patient.” The word love should not be
pressure filled and create stress and anxiety for those who give or receive
it. God’s desire is for everyone to love
and be loved. This “patient love” is
what many people, especially those who desire to be married, need to learn and
practice. Before thinking about the
wedding or your ideal honeymoon destination, perhaps couples should learn to love
patiently. Love in a way where they are
waiting for the right timing to move into the next step. Loving patiently might mean taking time to
learn about someone’s values, goals, dreams, and spiritual desires. Loving patiently might mean being in a
relationship but also vigorously pursuing your own destiny, dreams and God-given
purpose as he or she does the same so that should the relationship grow into
more, the two will be whole and complete before joining as one.
Perhaps if we learn how to love
patiently, we will learn more about God and how to love Him and do more of what
He desires of us. An evaluation of past
mistakes helped me understand how I need to live and enforce a patient
love. I’m happy because I see the
results of being patient and not having so many pressure filled expectations of
those we love. God desires to teach us
how to give and receive love His way.
In the words (and voice) of Pastor Joel Osteen, "Do you believe it on today?" :-)
This blog was incredible and on-time for my life. Thank you and keep sharing.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding!
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