LOVE’S PATIENCE

Love is patient… – 1 Corinthians 13:4a (NIV)
Love never gives up…. – 1 Corinthians 13:4a (Message)

The fourth verse of the Love Chapter begins to paint the Picture of love – WHAT LOVE IS: love is patient and love is kind. These are followed by WHAT LOVE IS NOT (verses 4b-6a) and WHAT LOVE DOES (verses 6b-7).

LOVE is PATIENT. Patience signifies forbearance and slowness to repay for offences. God’s patience slows down judgement and provides opportunity for reprieve from punishment (2Pet.3:9). PATIENCE does not however mean INDIFFERENCE. Patience bears with an offense; indifference ignores a harmful offense to its peril. Love is patient with people – with everyone. Love recognizes that life is in PHASES and all of life is about PROCESS. Love patiently brings people up in maturity. Love works with the weak to slowly and carefully bring about the desired end of edification and maturity in Christ. I choose to be patient always.

LOVE ENDURES. Love is also patient with circumstances. I choose to endure all that is in God’s Plan for my life. I choose to be patient and remain on the POTTER’s wheel while He pursues and perfects His eternal purpose for my life and destiny. I will never snatch myself away from His WHEEL and His WILL. I know that the Lord will finish what He started in me, because His love is eternal; He will never quit on me (Psalm 138:8, Message).

LOVE WAITS. Love learns to wait rather than hurry. Learning to wait is a test of maturity. O Lord, give me grace to always wait until my change comes: “…all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change comes” (Job 14:14b). Love waits and keeps a good attitude while at it, knowing that it is never disappointed. Love is an enduring commitment. Multitudes lack an understanding of the true notion of love. Much of modernity unfortunately, displays such a shallow and superficial semblance of love, when those who took marriage vows to leave and cleave as long as life subsists, soon break their covenants.

LOVE LISTENS. Love learns to listen rather than complain or chatter. We tend to expect people to listen to us on our own terms, the way we are used to, but often this does not work out that way. out of familiarity, we tend to be irritable and impatient with those we love. True love exudes a forbearing spirit that enables you to listen to others, not with a defensive façade, but with genuine care and empathy. “Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs” (1 Thes.5:14 Message).

Love does not insist on its own schedule and time constraints. Time is life and one who shares time actually shares life. The loving person – the patient person – trusts God with his or her very limited time and is willing to give and share of this valuable resource. The patient person trusts God for guidance to share care with diversity of people at their varying levels. Love shares time with the needy, depressed, disappointed, down-and-out, and hurting humanity.