LOVE’S TRUST

…believes all things…– 1 Corinthians 13:7c

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose – Romans 8:28

LOVE believes all things. LOVE is trusting. There is no doubt in love. According to Galatians 5:6, even faith works by love. Love chooses to treat others with honour and respect. It chooses to trust in the intentions of others. Love stays vulnerable to the one it loves, because it believes in them, despite their human frailty and carnal tendencies. Love keeps giving others another chance until they prove their absolute unworthiness. That’s the same way the Lord keeps extending opportunities to us. That’s the way He ceaselessly extended opportunities to Peter, until the feeble and unstable Peter became a mighty apostle! Only eternity would reveal how many chances God’s love has given each one of us!

Suspicion and doubt toward others do not usually indicate the reflection of love. On the contrary, demonstrating Christ-like love is entrusting ourselves to the ones we love time and time again. All of these do not mean that Christian love is naïve. It doesn’t infer believing everything that’s told you by anyone. Love isn’t fooled. Love doesn’t believe that white is black or vice versa. In doubtful cases however, love will give the benefit of doubt. Of course, there is no “benefit” to give where there is no “doubt” at all! In such circumstances trust would be folly.

Love does not put others on conditional probation or wait for people to prove themselves. Jesus did not put Peter on probation even when He knew the latter would deny Him. He still believed in Peter despite his temporary failure. He saw beyond Peter’s present inadequacy to his future potential. The Lord believed the best in each of His disciples irrespective of their backgrounds or personal idiosyncrasies, until Judas for example, showed without an iota of doubt, that he couldn’t be trusted.

Considering our God-ward response, our love for God assures us that He always has the best in mind for us, even when we do not seem to understand His dealings. Love is confident that God is working out something good through all the delays, denials, and disturbances. Our love ought to show such “trust” toward others; seeing the “good” in them and the possibilities and ‘positivity’ in people.