Quieting the Shout of Shouldনমুনা

“[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

—1 Corinthians 13:7

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love. We use the same word to talk about our affection for our spouse, our favorite drink from Starbucks, and the way we feel about God. There are dozens of ways we use one of the most important words—and actions—in our day-to-day lives. It’s no wonder we struggle with feeling like we should be a better mom, wife, friend, sibling, and coworker. We know we’re to love the people God has placed in our lives, but how? If I love someone less than my latte but more than my favorite shoes, is that good enough?

Today’s scripture passage gives us a better understanding of what loving people well really looks like. If we’re loving our new purse but are impatient, unkind, rude, and arrogant toward the people we live with, we’re not loving at all.

Love bears all things—the unexpected project, the pile of shoes inside the front door, the worst of our family’s actions.

Love believes—that God created us to be loyal, to believe in others and expect the best of them, and to be capable of more love than we could ever imagine.

Love hopes—even when the shouts of “should” are the loudest, the doubts are the strongest, the hurts are the most painful.

Love endures—because the grace, mercy, and kindness we show others comes from the One who is love, not from a place of obligation.

Quiet Quest: As you think about some of the areas where you feel the shout of should the loudest in your life, consider how love could bring some quiet. Whom have you struggled to love lately? Reread today’s scripture, knowing that what it describes is exactly how God loves you—and how you’re called to love that difficult-to-get-along-with person. Rest there today.