What is True Love? Perseverance

Love....it always preserves: 1 Corinthians 13:7

Perseverance:

 doing something even though difficult

continued effort to do something despite difficulties

never giving up

When I was a fairly young teenager, we used to go out to a farm in Hilliard, Ohio where my aunt, uncle and cousins used to live. I was born in a small town and raised in the city and so getting to go out and spend   time on a farm with them were special times to me.  They had these huge trees on their property and in the summer I used to go out and climb my very favorite one, every time we went out. That was no small feat, I assure you. I had to carefully climb up one limb at a time until I reached very close to the top, so as not to miss my step and go tumbling to the ground, which I was sure would probably be the end of me. Thankfully, I never did and if my parents had known what I had been doing out there, they would have put a stop to it. But they didn't and climbing that tree had gone on for several years with each visit we made there.

Why did I do it? Well, looking out over the beautiful country side had been an amazing experience for me. Not only that, but it was a small piece of freedom and a private place I had apart from everyone else, that they didn't share with me. I suppose I liked that. It was like this tree had its limbs around me holding me in place with each step. I know sounds silly. But how often our thoughts are silly as kids, and yet maybe it wasn't so silly because it did keep me safe.

It had taken perseverance to get up high in that tree and back down without meeting my end and I knew it. All through my life, I have mostly not willingly taken such dangerous actions as I did climbing that tree. Thank God I had chosen a tree strong that would hold me although I was a skinny kid and didn't really weigh all that much even as a teen.

Love is persevering in things even and especially when they are tough. In marriage. In raising our kids. In financial crisis. When we are growing older. In all things.

Jesus himself was the model for us in  Hebrews 12:2. ...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right of the throne of God.

He persevered in love for us even to his death. Easy? Was his life and death easy? Absolutely not. And sometimes ours isn't either. There are times when it takes the all the strength of God just as those limbs that so long ago held me,  to hold us in his arms to be able to preserve to the end of what we are going through.

It takes love, it takes patience, it sometimes takes the support of others-but mostly it takes God.

June 3, 2019 Promise: And the peace of God that passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Hello Friends. May God be with you and bless you today and always!

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