Love is...

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

ESV

After being married for 11 {and a half} years now, this portion of scripture has become so much deeper and more meaningful because this is really what "true love" is. 

Not the fairytale, picture perfect, boxes of never-ending chocolate with a side of roses, romantic poems and someone singing outside your window type of love.

This, written so many years ago, is what true love is, looks like, feels like and is perfectly displayed in the life of Jesus for our example to follow and to live.

This is love...

 it is patient and kind

not envious or boastful

not arrogant or rude

not insisting their own way

not irritable

not resentful

not finding joy in the wrong but joy in the truth

it bears ALL things

it believes ALL things

it hopes ALL things

it endures ALL things

The Lord has laid heavily these things on my heart and mind lately. To endure all things. That's not and easy word to live. Another version says that "love suffers long and is kind". That's deep. To suffer long and to still remain kind. What a beautiful, graceful way to respond.

That is true love.

To not be irritable

 {Hello, ladies! PMS ain't a free pass to get your sass on!}

To not be resentful.

 Not keeping that score card of their mistakes can be easier said than done. When two sinners collide in marriage, it's easy to have long and painful lists in your mind that come flowing out of your lips in arguments.

So much can be picked apart in this passage and applied to our marriages and relationships.

I'm just sharing a snippet from my thoughts but

it's so good to remember what true, real, actual love is...

Jesus demonstrated that perfectly when, while we were sinners, while we were envious and boastful, arrogant, rude, selfish, irritable, resentful, and finding joy in wrongdoing and sin and pain and yuckiness, He saw it all, past, present and future, and still laid down His life so that we might live.

That is true and glorious love.

And that is what we are called to follow after...

that while our spouses, children, friends, or fellow humans are still in sin {and we all sin}, we are to show love, true love, like Jesus shows us.

When you are forgiven much you can love much.

So love from the depths of what you were forgiven of so that Christ is glorified in your life, marriage, and family.

lovelove,
abs