With so much brutality going on in the name of Christianity, it’s good to be reminded of what real love looks like. This children’s book quote says it well.
“It is so easy to worry, so easy to be afraid, so easy to lose hope. And once you’ve lost hope, you’ve lost something precious. It’s like losing your heart. Yes, it’s really that bad.
But when things seem to be at their very worst, we should not give up hope. We should never give up hope, because there is one thing that makes all the difference in cases like this. Know what it is?
Love.
That’s right. Love always trusts, always hopes, always persists. Love never fails, and it never gives up.
While love may seem like a weak, small thing, there is really nothing bigger or stronger than love.
It is made of very tough stuff. Nothing can shake it, or break it. Nothing can stop it.
And even when bad things happen, love is still toiling away, sight unseen, smoothing out the rough edges, making up the shortfall, untangling the snarls, bending all ends to the good. Love is stubborn. It never lets go…Love holds everything together. That is worth remembering, I think…”
(Brown Ears at Sea, Stephen Lawhead)
This is a paraphrase of what I Corinthians 13 says even more clearly.
The Hope Blog 
True love can be very painful when rejected. It’s a delicate balancing act – knowing when to step back or take a chance and reach out knowing that your “love” may be rejected again. Our loving God knows “rejection” of His love – how good of Him to remind us how to endure and that love ‘never fails’ … 1 Corinthians 13 keeps many enduring to the end.
Thank you, Ingrid for posting this. As we prepare for a New Year, let us strive to “love one another”.
The photo of Emmy and Grandma has “love” written all over it. Beautiful. ❤
Nothing feels worse, HealinginHim, than having someone throw away your sincere love. But in the end, they are the losers who live in darkness. I’d rather be in pain from someone rejecting my love than to be the one doing the rejecting. That’s a foretaste of hell on earth. At least we know we tried.
Excellent point, Ingrid. So much better to “love” knowing that the heart is sincere and God knows the truth. Yes, at least we’ve tried.
A hopeful and lovely picture to start the new year with. Hopeful that it brings peace and healing to all.
This photo is very precious. Nothing sweeter than the love between Grandma and Grandchild.