Love is Patient

Most of us are familiar with Corinthians 13: 4-7, love is patient, love is kind; but have you ever really looked at this verse? If you have, then you are way ahead of most people living in the United States, and I think you should write a book; because I am convinced that most people (even Christians) don’t know what it is to really love, and when I say people, I’m also including myself. Yes, it’s a good verse to read at a wedding, and maybe a good way to talk to your children about loving their siblings, but do we fully understand what Paul was trying to say here?

I thought I knew what this verse was about; for goodness sake, it was the verse God gave me when I knew that he was telling me that Jesse was my husband and vic-versa. I knew this verse was explaining the meaning of love, and what it is to love. But until now, that verse was only mere words on a page. A good friend challenged me to really take a deeper look into what each word and what they really meant, taking it one step at a time to uncover what love really is and what it is to really love.

Love is Patient – My most recent friend, the Wikipedia, explains patience to be the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties.

Dude, wait a minute… I totally didn’t sign up for this! First off, why would love need to endure waiting? And secondly, when I’m faced with difficulties I’m more likely to craw into bed and never come out, then face them calmly and with maturity. In my young married mind, love is patient meant that I had to wait till I was 21 to get married and that Jesse had to be patient with me. As I read that back to myself, I want someone to hit me in the head like that V8 commercial. (Bonk) But I guess that’s what you think when you’re looking at love selfishly and one-sided.

Obviously, patience is not one of my gifts, but I find myself asking for more of it lately. And by grace, He is giving it. Who better to give it, right? God will wait, and wait, and wait for us to come to him and be with him. He’s willing to wait without being annoyed and he is willing to walk through difficult times. He’s willing to hold our hearts when others have smashed it. He is willing to just sit with you and love on you even though you haven’t had the time for him. God is so patience; God is Love.

So, if I am to truly love I will sit and wait for the Lord to do his thing. Even though I want things to happen quickly and for my life to be fixed I have to be patient with the one I love. I must not let thing upset me because my battle is not against flesh. I have to be strong and keep calm when I feel like everything is crashing in on me because God will see me through. By being patient, I am loving, and by loving I’m allowing God to move.