I Corinthians 13:4-8a
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant, It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails”.
We are nearing the end of love’s description. Today we will address “It keeps every confidence”. The common translation is “it bears all things”. The Cambridge Bible has this to say about it, “Here it means to endure patiently indignities and affronts, save of course where the well-being of others requires that they should be repelled.”
As I look at my experiences, it’s important to keep communication open. We can speak our concern that the person is requiring our patience. The honest person will adjust. Unfortunately not all are honest. We can place boundaries. We are more patient with family. Boundaries are important there as well.
A broad look on behavior sees bumps in the road as different than patterns. The bumps in the road are unforeseen circumstances. We should be completely gracious with these. It’s the patterns and repeat offenses that are treated differently. Those we should bring up. This isn’t only for our benefit, but for theirs also.
The bad patterns can poison our relationship, but all of theirs. If we ignore this, we aren’t helping them grow. We are being the adult. We are playing the long game. Unfortunately, they rarely turn instantly. Like trees that bear fruit, seasons can be long. God is patient with us. He is so good. He equips us to deal with all this. The wisdom of scripture helps. The power of the Holy Spirit makes this a reality in us.
Lord, help us to bear all things. Give us the wisdom with boundaries. Thank You!