Wow. Read that title again. I mean, really, read it. Then let it sink it (and repeat if necessary).
That phrase comes from the classic description of true love found in 1 Corinthians 13. I have had this passage memorize for years. In two different languages.
And yet...
Lying in bed tonight I found myself doing it. As I have so often done it. Going through my list. That mental list of times I've been wronged. Of things that I am owed. Of what I should have said. Of what I would say now. The dishes--left undone--again. Broken headphones. Empty gas tank. Rude jokes. Experiences denied. Hurtful words. Times left out.
And I was interrupted by a whisper.
Love keeps no record of wrongs.
The wind went rushing out of my gut as that gentle whisper wrapped itself around my head like a fog. A simple phrase. A well-known verse. Pounded into my brain for years, but I never once had the thought that I thought tonight:
If that is love, who do I love? Do I really love anyone at all?
I don't want to be that person. I refuse to be that person. I refuse to live in bitterness or regret. I refuse to relish the mental replay of what I could have said to cut a person to size. I refuse to wallow in self-pity or martyrdom. I choose love. Forget the dishes. Lose the record.
Take a moment. Who do you love? And then answer this: how well do you love them? Are you willing to truly love and lose any record of wrongs?
2 comments:
Wow, what a powerful challenge. Thank you for your vulnerability in sharing this so many of us can benefit with you on this.
I've just gone myself and taken another look at I Corinthians 13 to see if there are other ways that I fail to live out the love we're called to as Christians. It's a challenging chapter and super good.
love this!! thanks for sharing!
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