Love is Patient!
This world needs a lot more love. I think we would all agree on that. But what does love look like? The best one to answer that question is the author of love himself. In his Word, Jesus gives us a helpful description of what love is and what love isn’t. Through the apostle Paul, he tells us that love is patient.
Patience is the ability to bear provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain without complaint, loss of temper, or irritation (at least that’s what dictionary.com says).
How is your patient love? There is plenty to provoke you in this world and there certainly are a lot of things or people that can annoy you. No doubt you’ve experienced plenty of misfortune and pain. How long did it take you to complain? How quickly did you lose your temper? How soon did it become obvious to the people around you that you were irritated?
If we are going to be serious about this whole love thing, then all of us need to look at our patience. And if we’re serious about working on our patience then all of us need to look at Jesus.
Jesus teaches you patience by first telling you he died for your impatience. The love of Jesus led him to patiently endure the cross for every last time you’ve lost it. Without complaint, he gave his life for every time your annoyance turned someone off or your irritation made itself evident in hurtful words or actions. Patiently he paid the price and washed you clean. There was no complaint that he had to do it and he holds no annoyance with you now…only love.
And now he sets before you a challenge, or may be better, and opportunity, to reflect his same loving patience in your life. His patient love for you will give you strength to endure provocation. His patient love for you will hold you firm during misfortune. Jesus patient love for you will put annoyances in perspective.
Being patient will not be easy, but it will be love. That’s what Jesus gave to you and that’s what you get to give to the world.
Love is patient –1 Corinthians 13:4
