1 Cor. 13-14 CSB
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,” 13:4
We have all heard these words before in 1 Corinthians 13; the famous passage on love. I can remember using this chapter to write my wedding vows and people commenting “how high a standard we had set for our marriage, and we would never be able to keep those.” They were pretty much right 😊. I said things to my spouse on my wedding day like, “I promise to always be patient, to always be kind, to never be jealous, to never be proud or arrogant…” You can imagine, of course, that I have broken those ideal vows from time to time. I always come back and ask Suzie for forgiveness, but the point remains that Paul’s description of genuine love is lofty and it is something that we can only really live up to when it is the Spirit of God loving through us.
This doesn’t mean, though, that the standard should be any lower. Paul’s description of love, “the most excellent way,” in 1 Cor. 13 is exactly what I need to be aiming for when I love God and when I love others; including my spouse, my children, my neighbor, and even my enemies. The first one, “Love is patient,” is probably the one I struggle with the most. I tend to be in a rush, and I always want to “get the ball rolling.” Yet, often God is calling me to be patient; not just patient with other people, but even patient with myself and patient with my circumstances. I think about this season we are all in where the whole world seems to be on “lockdown” because of COVID-19. Honestly, the biggest struggle I have is with the waiting.
I don’t typically worry about my health or the future, but sitting around and putting plans on hold… or worse not being able to plan at all, has become the stressor for me. Yet, true love is patient. If I am going to love God the way I should, or if I am going to do ministry the way I should, then I have to be patient. It has forced me to stop, take a deep breath and try to lean into Him. I know that many people in this world are going through so much more than I can ever imagine. Economies are struggling, people are out of work and I can see that hunger is quickly descending on my African neighbors who already live “day to day” as it is. Meanwhile, my biggest complaint is that I live in a nice house with plenty of food and entertainment, but I am chomping at the bit to “get out and get to work.” There is work to be done right here, and there are creative ways that I can be fruitful in ministry even in a “lockdown.” But, the real work is what’s being done in my heart as I learn that the true test of my genuine love for the Lord is whether I am willing to be “patient” in this season. I’m learning to let the Lord do what He wants to do in His world instead of constantly trying to rush back to what I consider to be normal. Remember, infatuation and lust are always in a hurry, true Love is always patient.
