It’s the Month of February. Welcome to the month of love. World over, we will see more of the colour RED in celebration of St. Valentine’s day. Whether or not you choose to celebrate Valentine’s day, it will not go unnoticed. At Ruby’s Gift Store we are joining the craze by sharing in our blogs this month on what love looks like according to 1 Corinthians 13. This love is not confined to marriage but all relationships.
Love is patient and kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4a
We have heard that love is a verb, meaning it’s in the actions that we take and not merely words. Love can be expressed without speaking a word. We can show love by being patient and kind with those around us. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to be patient and kind to those closest to us? Our spouses, our children, our employees? I have noticed this in my own life. And yet we cannot claim to love God and fail to love our brother, right? 1 John 4:20. I don’t know if it’s because we get very familiar with those close to us or it is that we expect too much of those them and when they fall short we are easily angered, but for some reason we find this happens.
Patience. The ability to tolerate and accommodate inconveniences without getting annoyed or anxious. How do you respond when things do not go as fast as you would like? Maybe the hairdresser is taking too long, the traffic is an unending or your child is spending an hour on her meals. Are you able to respond to such situations without getting irritated and annoyed? Is it even possible? Only by the help of the Holy Spirit can it be. He alone can help us to keep calm when people get on our nerves. When people see us be patient in such stressful situations they will see the love of God.
Kindness. You have probably heard the famous statement, “If you can be anything, BE KIND.” Kindness is such a good virtue to have; to be friendly and considerate and generous to others. Kind people are so attractive and pleasant to be around. They draw us in because we feel comfortable around them. We are able to show Christ to another when we display kindness. We don’t need a reason to be kind, simply be kind and people will see God’s love shining through you.
I struggle to be patient with my children when they don’t move as fast as I wish, when I have to call them more than once before I get a response. I struggle to be kind to my spouse when I feel he has not been kind to me or to a family member who I feel is undeserving. And so what do I do? Daily I ask God for help, that I would grow in Christlikeness and the fruit of the Spirit would be evident in my life.
Will you make this your daily prayer as well?
