If you asked someone what love was, what kind of a response would you get? Answers would probably vary widely, but many people would say that love is somehow related to a feeling. When you fell in love with your spouse you likely felt a strong emotional attachment to him. You thought about him constantly or felt a surge of excitement when you were about to see him after a long separation.
Are these wonderful feelings that our culture is so infatuated with the same thing as love? Undoubtedly, love can be related to feelings of emotional connection or need. However, true love as described in the Bible is much, much more.
“Charity (love) suffereth long and is kind; charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.” I Corinthians 13:4-8a.
“Charity suffereth long and is kind,” Love is long-suffering, or patient. Countless times I have found myself being impatient or unkind with a member of my family. When I am short-tempered with my child I am not showing love for her.
“Charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself,is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly,” True love is not jealous or boastful. If your friend gets a great new job or loses twenty pounds, how do you feel towards her? If you become envious or angry at her, your love for your friend is shallow.
“Seeketh not her own,” If you are a person filled with love, you are not after what you can get for yourself. True love is preferring others before yourself.
“Is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,” How many times does my husband have to make the same mistake before I cut him down with my words? If I am easily pushed over the line to say unkind things to those around me, I am not displaying the love the Bible talks about. True love thinks the best about people. No matter how many times a person has sinned against you in the past, if they apologize you must not only forgive them, but also believe in your heart that the person will not do it again. This is not naivete, this is Biblical admonition.
“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth.” As Christian women, we should never be happy or feel a sense of, “He got what he deserves,” when another person makes a mistake. Instead, we should rejoice when we see others do what’s right.
The kind of love described in this chapter is an action and not a feeling. It is wonderful when strong emotional feelings accompany the love we have for people, but if the feeling is absent or lacking, you can still love them through your actions. Love that behaves this way “never fails.” Remember Jesus’ example of love for us. He loved us and so He sacrificed Himself for us. It is hard work to follow the example of love in I Corinthians 13. Christ’s example should be our motivation.