Hoping that love does its work

One of the things my pastor said when growing up is that love conquers pretty much anything. I must have been pretty young when he said it, but it’s probably one of those statements that shaped me. He said that people can be angry at you and you might make a lot of mistakes, but ultimately if you love them it usually wins out.

I think he might have got that idea from the Bible: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Sometimes love makes you look soft. But it’s actually tough, an act of the will, to love when you don’t feel like it, especially with friends when you have the option not to love. You can just walk away and be done with each other. It’s not like you’re stuck. You can choose not to love.

Today I’m learning that love has its limits. Maybe that’s why love has to be patient. I am frustrated today, but I hope that my former pastor was right. I hope that love eventually covers all the junk and the mess in which we sometimes find ourselves when nothing else seems to work.