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We all want a 1 Corinthians 13:7 love. It’s the kind of love we dream about.
We long for someone who will stick with us in the good and bad, who will, even in our worst moments, believe the best about us, and bring out the best in us.
We want someone who remains watchful, hopeful, steadfast in love with us.
We want a love who will never give up on us.
The trouble is, though we want that person who demonstrates that kind of love, we don’t always want to be that person.
Complaining is easier than believing the best about someone, and succumbing to despair is easier than holding on to hope. Giving up is easier than sticking it out.
But love bears all things.
Does our love bear all things?
The phrase “bears all things” comes from a Greek word meaning to cover and is related to the word indicating a roof, or a covering that offers protection from the elements.
In his commentary, W. E. Vine explains that this covering either supports what is placed upon it, or covers what is placed underneath it. Love acts in both ways in bearing all things.
I am so struck by the implications of this verse!
Love protects what is within.
Love guards against resentment, anger, and discouragement. It isn’t hypercritical.
Love doesn’t look for every fault or point out every shortcoming; it doesn’t complain, quibble, or criticize.
How often we attack rather than protect. We expose rather than cover. We neglect rather than draw near!
[Love] does not expose or exploit, gloat or condemn. It bears; it does not bare (John MacArthur).
In marriage (or any relationship for that matter), there are some things we must choose to overlook in our husbands or in our marriages – as hard as it is.
We must let that complaint, that shortcoming, that inconsistency go into the hands of God and choose not to pick it up again, dwell on it, or nurse the hurt.
Because we love, we cover over what we do not like in another person, defending their character within the limits of truth and giving up our right or desire for revenge or juststice. Instead of focusing on the faults, imperfections, or mistakes of each other, love chooses to focus on the positive and the good.
But it’s a struggle! Bearing all things requires sacrifice and selflessness; really, nothing short of Christ in us!
I must also note that implicit in this phrase is the truth that love doesn’t criticize – in private or in public. Wives, we must stop complaining about our husbands. Pointing out their faults, throwing out “zingers” of sarcasm (at home or about), nitpicking, or vilifying them is not okay!
We are not acting in love when we criticize our husbands!
Love bears all things!
Love protects against the enemy without.
We do not choose all of our circumstances. Life can be hard, but love supports what is placed upon us, standing up under the weight of it, no matter what tomorrow brings.
Love bears the pressures, faces the trials, and does not give up.
In addition to the trials that come in life, we will face many temptations. The enemy of our souls would love nothing less than our marriages destroyed, our families torn apart, and our characters demeaned.
We must be on guard, ready to protect from whatever strikes.
When attacked from without, love acts as a shield, keeping out the threats, not allowing them access to the person or the relationship.
Like a roof keeps out rain or walls protect from wind, love is a shelter, a guard or defense; it bears all manner of danger from without and from within.
Is our love vigilant? Do we avoid compromising situations and defamatory speech? Are we alert to the proverbial foxes that try to sneak into the henhouse? Are we willing to postpone an event, give up a friendship, or forego our rights in order to be proactive in protecting our love? Does our love protect?
Love bears all things.
Love bears all things.
Love bears all things.
Love bears all things.
Is our love a load-bearing love?
Question for You ::
Where do you find it hardest to “bear all things” in your marriage?
Resources for You ::
- What I Didn’t Realize about 1 Corinthians 13:4
- At-home date night ideas to build your relationship
- 5 Struggles Men Face and what a Wife Can Do
- Praying God’s Word for the heart of my Husband
- FREE 4-week Marriage Challenge
- My favorite marriage prayer books
This is a blessing