My heart sinks when I read the so-called love chapter from 1 Corinthians 13. You know: “Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

I have done the opposite of every one of those things often – more often than not. It’s a pretty high standard isn’t it? But somewhere along the line I figured out something that helped me with this passage. God is love, right? So what if I say it this way: “God is patient, God is kind, he does not envy, he does not boast…” etc. If I look at it that way, God becomes the standard and he never fails.

Does that mean I’m off the hook and it is okay for me to be unkind, rude, and boastful? No. But it does mean I won’t look inside myself to find all the good things love produces. Instead I will make more room for God in my heart so that more of what he is can pour forth from me.

The apostle Paul says; “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) If you don’t have all the attributes in that famous love chapter, don’t despair; very few of us do. But does Christ live inside you? If so, you have it all.