Love Never Fails - Reposted from emilyposting.blogspot.com
Originally published February 25, 2013:
I was having a conversation with someone the other day and it taught me something important about love. It's something God has been trying to teach me for a long time. My husband and I chatted about it more on a car trip back from spending some time with my family, and that conversation and opportunity to talk through it with someone who knows the love of Christ and demonstrates it with me daily really drove the point home. (We also talked about this in my bible study, it was the sermon on Sunday, and my brother just sent me a link to some profound thoughts from another woman on the subject. Coincidence? I think not. God's serious about this one, guys.)
So here's what I'm learning: have you ever been in a disagreement with someone and they try to win you to their side by putting yours down? It may be that it's the other way around. Does it work? Truly? Or is it more likely that the most promising end we can expect is that one side gets tired and puts an end to the controversy by relenting? Is relent really a victory? I don't consider them synonymous. You've heard the saying power corrupts? And the one about knowledge being power? Do we gain a little knowledge and let it corrupt our ability to freely love people with a childlike enthusiasm? Do we instead use it to puff ourselves up and pretend we can now look down on others from our new vantage point?
1 Corinthians 8:1 says that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." Is it better to be right or to love? I'll admit, I am so guilty of justifying my own desire to be right. I am slowly realizing just how seriously inept I am as a judge. God is the just judge and he has called me only to care for his flock. The importance of being present, being encouraging, being forgiving has hit me pretty hard recently. To set myself completely aside and focus on the person--not the deeds, not the words--but the person in front of me. The person who has been through the same trials I have, harder trials than my own, or may be in the midst of trial. The person who needs a shoulder, an ear, a listener. Not another judge.
Best,
Emily
I was having a conversation with someone the other day and it taught me something important about love. It's something God has been trying to teach me for a long time. My husband and I chatted about it more on a car trip back from spending some time with my family, and that conversation and opportunity to talk through it with someone who knows the love of Christ and demonstrates it with me daily really drove the point home. (We also talked about this in my bible study, it was the sermon on Sunday, and my brother just sent me a link to some profound thoughts from another woman on the subject. Coincidence? I think not. God's serious about this one, guys.)
So here's what I'm learning: have you ever been in a disagreement with someone and they try to win you to their side by putting yours down? It may be that it's the other way around. Does it work? Truly? Or is it more likely that the most promising end we can expect is that one side gets tired and puts an end to the controversy by relenting? Is relent really a victory? I don't consider them synonymous. You've heard the saying power corrupts? And the one about knowledge being power? Do we gain a little knowledge and let it corrupt our ability to freely love people with a childlike enthusiasm? Do we instead use it to puff ourselves up and pretend we can now look down on others from our new vantage point?
1 Corinthians 8:1 says that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." Is it better to be right or to love? I'll admit, I am so guilty of justifying my own desire to be right. I am slowly realizing just how seriously inept I am as a judge. God is the just judge and he has called me only to care for his flock. The importance of being present, being encouraging, being forgiving has hit me pretty hard recently. To set myself completely aside and focus on the person--not the deeds, not the words--but the person in front of me. The person who has been through the same trials I have, harder trials than my own, or may be in the midst of trial. The person who needs a shoulder, an ear, a listener. Not another judge.
Best,
Emily
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