Love is Patient

 “Love is patient...” (1 Corinthians 13:4). 

Have you ever thought about what that means when reading that scripture? When I read it, I often take note that love is patient, remember it to keep it memorized, but I don’t know that I’ve stopped and thought about what that means. If I have, God is definitely reminding me right now. 

“Love is patient.”

I say that I love God, but I also want what I asked for right now. I want to see the results. I want to see the results and “reward” (so-to-speak) of my obedience right away, as soon as I obey. I don’t want to wait, if I’m going to be honest. I don’t want to be patient. But if I say that I love God, does that not require me, then, to be patient with Him as well? 

“Love is patient.”

Now, I do feel like being patient in love often looks like forgiving when someone has wronged you, being patient when they get angry with you and yell at you and waiting it out, having grace and being patient when they keep doing the same wrongful action over and over, even though they keep apologizing. But I wonder if being patient in love also looks like waiting on God to move and being okay with the waiting. 

“Love is patient.” 

Imagine waiting in line at Costco on Black Friday. You can either wait and complain, beg the cashier to see you sooner, get out of line when it’s takes longer than you wanted; or you can believe that at some point you will be seen and be able to ring up your items and, thus, just stand and move forward until you get to the front. Could that be what being patient with God means, trusting that He sees you, just like the cashier sees you, and, at some point, when everything is set up exactly right to give Him the glory, He will deliver, just like the cashier delivers you your purchased items?

“Love is patient.”

But how can we be patient? How do we build up a level of belief to trust and believe God enough to not need proof any sooner than He wants to give it to you? When our first love is the Father and not what He’s promised us, then we can just ask and receive and believe that we’ve been heard and will receive it. Then we can just sit back and relax and know that He’ll do it, because we’re not tied to the promise but to the One who gave it. 

It is only by the grace of the Father that we can have this kind of love. Help us to love You above all else. Amen.