By David ReayFriday 26 Jun 2020LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. (NLT)
There is an old Danish proverb that says a house guest is like a fish….after three days, he stinks. So be careful not to overstay your welcome next time you are in Denmark!
It is true that we might look forward to Aunt Agatha staying with us, recognising she is the salt of the earth type. But then again, too much salt can be bad for us. The guest whose arrival we gladly anticipate can become the guest whose departure we long for.
Loving other people is usually not expressed in heroic or grand gestures. It is not full of high blown eloquence. Usually it is just accepting the fallibilities and foibles of the other and go on seeking the best for them. The Bible calls it forbearance, and it is the sort of love described in our text for today.
Love will always involve loving those who are hard to love. Not just our enemies who are out to get us, but those closer to us who simply get on our nerves. We are to seek the good of those who seek our good. We are to seek the good of those who inflict the bad on us. And we seek the good of those who just irritate us.
Sometimes we love with a smile or with a solemn commitment to forgive wrongs done to us. Other times we simply love with a weary sigh and through occasionally gritted teeth. But no matter: it is all love just the same.
Blessings
David