Charity suffereth long,

I love the King James Version of the Bible.  It is so descriptive.  Many versions translate 1 Corinthians 13:4 as “Love is patient.”  How nice.  Very pleasant picture.  Someone is taking a little longer to come to the car… be patient.  A little long in the tongue on a story… be patient.

But I get a much more vibrant picture when I realizeth (haha) that love suffers. 

Christ took stripes on the back… that was love suffering. 

He took nails through the wrists… that was love suffering.

A thorny crown… yep, you guessed it.  Suffereth.

Looooooong.

Love hangs in there when everything tells you that you have put in enough time.

So when the Lord asked me, “Why don’t you loving me,” I immediately knew that I wasn’t being patient with Him.

It was then that I realized that when we lack “patience”, when we fail to “suffer long”, when we think that we have put in or put up with enough… we cease to love the Lord.

Lacking patience is lacking love.

Then I am reminded of Paul of Tarsus.  Take a look at what he suffered through…

“(I speak as a fool) I [am] more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; [In] journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Patience isn’t just sitting down in a comfy chair… it is holding the chair on your shoulders… with a boulder in it… in the rain… and hail… and gusting winds… smiling.

Life has enough opportunities for us to suffer long.  If we do it to glorify God… we love Him.

Hang in there… with all ten fingers.  And a toe if you have to.

SDG