“Love is patient, love is kind…”

If you are a believer in Christ, I would venture to say you could probably finish this sentence and verse. If you cannot it might be either you don’t know it exactly word-for-word though probably could rattle off most of it or even quite a few bits and pieces.

If you are not a believer, chances are you might have heard it as well as the “definition of love”.

So let’s have a little fun (albeit impactful) with this portion of Scripture.

If G-d is love? If He shares out of that love? Calls us His own out of His love? And wants to express how we should live out His love through us – I am going to make a temporary (not replacing Scripture) substitution to make a point in this article.

Let’s substitute the first couple instances of “love” with “G-d”.

So, “G-d is patient, G-d is kind.” I won’t replace every instance for sake of time as well as there are a few different bits of His character regarding envy, jealousy, and His own sufficiency of holiness, that is perfection, of character that go well beyond what is even mentioned in the original verses as we can not comprehend the vastness of Him or how holy, holy, holy He truly is.

Has G-d been patent with you? How? When?

When has He showed up and been kind to you when you didn’t deserve it regardless of whether or not you felt it?

When has a tragic event happened close to you yet not directly but it still cuts to the quick of your heart and you wonder why them or your heart goes out to the affected person and you are pondering being in there shoes?

Or when has your life been spared from danger, toil, stress, or severe consequences?

I cannot say how many total times my own life has been “spared” or that the L-rd’s love covered over me during a tough situation, protected me from harm, or led me to go a different route than I was heading by my own.

The more I grow in faith, the older I get, the more I realize that He is very kind to me with His love. I make daily mistakes and struggles. He is patient with me on the narrow road. He carries us when we are weak, yanks us when we need saving, and disciplines us to nudge us back on course. All out of His love.

This is why, to me, that all that really is worthwhile is Him. I do love certain things here on Earth. Yet when you have that communion with the Father, there is nothing comparable.

I have shared in the past that I struggle with helping my daughter, kindness, love, patient, and selfishness. Yet, that does not faze Christ. He died for all that. He loves us and His Father, our Father, looks at us through Yeshua.

That love needs to grow for Him, daily.

Reason: without it – there is nothing. With it – EVERYTHING. Purpose, hope, contentment, comfort, and a future.

Today, my friend, rest in His love. Honor Him and take a few minutes to tell Him how grateful you are for His love. You need Him. He is the most refreshing water you ever tasted, the prettiest sunset you ever experienced, and the greatest love that you will ever have. And what a love He is….

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (start..)

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…” (ESV)