Golden oldies! Don't you just love 'em? You're at the park and there's a sweet little old couple walking hand in hand. He's as doddery as a toddler, and her hair's as grey as smoke. You can tell they've had more games of Scrabble than you've had cooked dinners.
Old couples who've stood the test of time are more than tired old clichés. They're a testimony to the true nature of love. You might think love is that racing feeling when the cutie you've had your eye on walks through the door. However love is really about hanging in there when you want to walk out, forgiving each other and keeping on keeping on. 1 Corinthians 13 might be the famous wedding passage, but we could all do with a reminder so that we can 'love our neighbour as ourselves'.
There are 16 aspects of love that don't bear any resemblance to anything lovey-dovey, but are instead very practical. At the top of the list is patience. Could you imagine the difference it would make if you didn't just fly off the handle when your mum shows up late to pick you up. Then there's kindness, and we all love it when someone's done the washing up even when it's not their turn. The final aspect of love is that it never fails. It keeps going. A revival of love might only begin as a small deed, but it could bring on a revolution.
So what now? Read 1 Corinthians 13. What bits of the passage do you find really tough, and what comes more naturally?
SoulFood: 1 Cor 1-3, John 3:22-36, Ps 89:15-37, Pr 23:15-18
The Word For You Today (an adaptation of The Word for Today authored by Bob & Debby Gass) is published under licence by RBG New Zealand. 2011 UCB International Ltd