Love is . . .

Sometimes I wonder if I ever love at all. Listen to Paul in 1 Cor 13:4-7: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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."

Oh, I can be patient and kind. Sometimes. If I think about it. Envy? Not as much as I used to. I don't think I'm boastful and proud, but that's really for others to say. 

But rude? I can be rudest to the people I love best; it's ironic that I'll say things to my wife I would never say to a stranger. Some days I'm the most self-seeking guy in Orange City, and I can get angry at the smallest things, although (getting back to rudeness) often only my wife will know.

I'm probably no worse than the rest of us in keeping a record of wrongs, but that's not saying much. Like the old joke says, we tend not to get hysterical, but historical. Most of us can recite the failings of others from memory, stretching back to high school. 

Based on all of that, do I love? Paul's ideal, like most of his ideals, seems far beyond my reach. But then I remember that Paul is always talking about life in Christ; I can't do much myself but if I team up with Jesus . . .

The hope is in verse 7. I think those I love most will attest that I always protect, and I (almost) always trust. I do those well enough that I always hope, and I'm pretty good at persevering. Dawn might call it stubbornness, but there's an element of that in all good perseverance. Those things all come by God's grace; it's like He gives enough success to show that success is possible.

It's a challenge to show this kind of love at home. It can be even trickier in the context of church, which is where Paul's primary focus is. Do we love our pastor, the people we chat with over coffee, and the singers who lead us in worship the way Paul describes? Do we love the people we meet on the street? Even those clueless drivers in the other cars?

Like I was told in marriage counseling, love is hard work. It's a life's work. But seldom will we ever see as great a return for our efforts as if we do this.