Opinion

The perfect Love that never gives up

Ruth Lilley has been sharing with us, in three previous columns, her thoughts on a famous verse from 1 Corinthians 13. This time, she encourages us with a love that perseveres.

“Love … It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (v7).
 
When considering the final characteristic in this verse, ‘Love…always perseveres’, my mind went to my workplace. At school we often refer to different learning characteristics and we champion the seven learning dispositions which are put forward by The Effective Lifelong Inventory (ELLI).
 
We encourage the children to consider how they learn through different characters which have the attitudes of curiosity, resilience and perseverance, teamwork, making connections, creativity, changing and responsibility and resourcefulness.
 
One of the characters is a tortoise who represents resilience and perseverance. Working in an infant school, the children are learning so many new skills and continually gaining further knowledge. Therefore, there are many opportunities to put resilience and perseverance into practice.
 
The children will explain that resilience and perseverance are demonstrated when they keep on going even when it is tricky, not giving up, trying something even though it feels like it might be challenging. They value resilience and perseverance as important characteristics and helpful qualities; they will often voice that there is always a solution to a problem.
 
So, relating the children’s thinking and reasoning to love, then surely, if love always perseveres, it must always keep on going, even when it is tricky. As The Message translation puts it, ‘Love…keeps going until the end.’
 
A love that keeps going until the end, a love that perseveres through tricky and challenging times, seems a big ask. Why love when it hurts? Why love when it challenges? Why love when it is ignored? Why love when it breaks?
 
A love that perseveres does not make sense without Jesus. Why do we keep on loving? We persevere because of Jesus. Jesus loved when it hurt; He loved when it was challenging- He extended His love to ALL. Jesus loved when He was ignored, even when He was betrayed. Jesus loved even when it broke.

Jesus is the perfect example of love persevering. His love is unfailing, determined, strong and deep. In extending His love to all, He gave hope and new life to all. Jesus is love and He is the reason for our love to persevere.
 
May I, in choosing Jesus, then choose a love that is willing to persevere and to not give up. May I choose a love that will be willing to make the effort and keep on loving, through it all.
 
Image by S. Nagel from Pixabay

Ruth Lilley teaches at an infant school in Norwich. She also enjoys writing, and writes a regular blog called ‘With Every Sun Comes A New Day.’

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