“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

Disqualify you? Well, if we are honest, it disqualifies most of us. We fail at love because most of us, if not all of us, do not truly understand what God intended love to be.

Love is patient…

Paul writes out a list of characteristics of love. I don’t know about you but I’m still stuck on Love is patient. 

Did you know patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit? The opposite of patience is of course impatience which is the fruit of selfishness and entitlement.

Selfishness is one of those characteristics that has its own private party at the expense of others. Love seeks its happiness in the other person not in itself.

Our culture today is all about personal feelings. I remember flipping through the channels at home and coming across a well-known therapist. He asked the question, “And how does that make you feel?” He continued to ask the question over and over again. I wanted to throw the remote!  I chuckled to myself because it is the way of the world – we do what we “feel like doing” when we “feel like doing it” without thought of consequences or others. Immediate gratification. It is the “I want it now” mentality, and the world has caught on to it very well.

I believe Paul opens with this trait because it is simple really; we must be patient with others because we ourselves have failed many times too. We, ourselves, have sinned; have made mistakes; have hurt others; have ______________ (You fill in the blank) – and God has continued to love and wait on us to come around.

Love is long-suffering – it waits – it listens – it sits beside – it ponders – it says, “I’m here for as long as it takes.”

As long as it takes? Sounds like commitment to me. Sounds like the definition of loyalty.

Today think about how you love people in your life. Are you committed or do you quit at the first signs of trouble? Are you a “stand by his/her side” kind of person, or are you more about how the relationship impacts you?

I want to challenge you to process what love looks like in your life. If you need to change what and how you act in love, ask God to help you to love as He loves.

Every morning I ask God to allow me to love my wife as He loves her. I ask Him to allow me to see people as He sees them. I pray for the commitment to be the friend I need to be and have the loyalty of Him. He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)