1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails." (emphasis mine)
I looked up this verse today to write it in a little card I am giving my sister-in-law as she embarks on a new journey tomorrow. I wanted to encourage her with this verse and in turn, I was convicted, especially of the part "it keeps no record of wrongs".
Lately I have been struggling with forgiveness, especially in my own marriage. I always thought I had forgiven my husband of the things he did to wrong me. I think I did it more out of duty and didn't truly embrace the forgiveness. There is still pain in my heart from what he did and doesn't do. The verse states "Love keeps no records of wrongs." If I have truly forgiven my husband, I would not be constantly reminded of the hurt. I believe I am being attacked with those memories and I need to constantly hand my marriage over to God. (There are also things I have done/haven't done for my husband that I struggle to forgive myself for.)
This verse reminds me of the core message in the book Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas which is: marriage isn't made to make you happy, it is made to make you Holy. How true is that? It made me realize that I should not be looking for happiness from my husband, but from God and God alone! I could go on and on about this book, maybe in a later post. I definitely recommend it to any Christian, married or not.
I love this verse because it is a wake up call. It makes me question myself - am I being patient? and I easily angered? am I always protecting my marriage? Sadly, I am almost always not living up to what this verse says about love. I need to re-focus my intentions every day and give my hopes and desires over to God and let him mold me into the person He wants me to be. Like God says, "LOVE NEVER FAILS."
~e
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