Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13
As demonstrated in this portion, love is a matter of right relationship. Where I’ve misunderstood this in the past is that I’ve taken right relatedness to mean the equivalent of flawlessness. But relationship is banter. It’s back and forth. And it’s this back and forth that renders us more loving than before.
Rather than an invitation to spend a lifetime striving towards a standard we can never meet, the sort of relationship we are called to is about honest connection with God about who we are today. And from that place we open ourselves to the changes God wishes to bring about in us. This is one of the beautiful and distinguishing characteristics of Christianity: this God who meets us where we are and walks with us.
And as we walk with God authentically, God draws our attention to opportunities for us to practice being considerate rather than rude, thoughtful of others rather than self-seeking. God encourages us to embody understanding, rather than being quick to act in anger. God gives us the courage to be pursuers of reconciliation instead of recording the wrongs of others. And so in this way, we grow in our ability to love.
