“I am nothing without love.” No matter the culture, moment, or language, to loveless is to be nothing: Croatian: ništa, Danish: intet, French: rien, German: nichts, Finnish: mitättömyys, Czech: nic, Dutch: niets, Spanish: nada, Italian: niente. What does love look like?
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable and doesn’t keep a record of being wronged; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
Lord Jesus, every phrase in this passage drives me to you—to be forgiven, to be gifted with your righteousness, and for power to love others as you love me. Fortunately, we’re not saved to the degree we love like this, but to the degree you love us like this, which is 100%.
In particular, I’m struggling with love not “keeping a record of being wronged,” and love “believes all things.” I know you’re not calling us to have amnesia about how we’ve been hurt, or to pretend like things didn’t happen. But you are calling us (me) to forgive from the heart. Help me, Jesus. Free me. Even if those who wronged me never own it, I want to be freer on the inside.
And about the issue of love “believes all things”—bring me back to the place of assuming the best of others and situations, not the worse. I don’t want to be foolishly naïve; but even less do I want to be always suspicious, overly guarded, easily cynical, and unwilling to trust. Jesus, you are always present and always at work in every situation, no exceptions. Thank you, and … So Very Amen.