Reckless Love

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 

is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 

Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, 

believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 CSB

Many of us have probably seen the suggestion to put our name in place of love, a friend's name in place of love, a potential love interests in place of love. When we consider that God is love, placing His name where love is gives us the clearest picture of who God is and what He does. 

So what does that mean when our emotions are running high, we don't know up from down, and everything feels out of control.

God is patient when we are excavating every emotion we have supressed for far too long because we (a) didn't know what we were feeling or (b) thought we weren't allowed to or shouldn't feel a certain way.

God is kind and will gently peel back all the layers to get to the bottom of it so that He can heal us and move us forward in the way He always intended us to be.

God does not envy what we did not know was holding us captive. If something was holding our hearts, He is fully aware of how much of it we understood. Instead, He pursues us steadily until He knows we are ready for the great reveal.

God is not boastful, arrogant, or rude. When He shows us where we have been believing a lie, He does not point out every 'I told you so' in Scripture to make us feel badly about ourselves. Instead, He leads us to the truth of His Word and reminds us that the things He has written down, He wrote for a reason.

God is not irritable and does not keep a record of wrongs. PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME for that one. His heart will break for the captivity we have put ourselves in through unbelief or lack of knowledge but He isn't cranky about it and He doesn't bring it up repeatedly by saying, "Oh, but remember the time you......" No. Just no.

God finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. We can go to Him and ask Him to reveal any unrighteousness in us so that He can put us back on the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24) As a result, He will rejoice with us when He sees we understand what He's been trying to tell us. It's why He leaves the ninety-nine to go get the one and why there is more rejoicing in heaven over one who repents.

God bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. What God is willing to do in order to get us to the life He always planned for us is beyond anything we will ever comprehend. He never once gives up, abandons, or throws His hands up in the air deciding we aren't worth the effort. 

God never ends. He was, He is, and He always will be. Forever.