How's Your Soul? by Judah Smith

Author:Judah Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2016-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

OFF THE TRACKS

Two definitions down, two to go. Let me warn you, this is not going to get easier. Real love—authentic God-love—is not always easy. Especially, as we said earlier, because this is how love functions all the time. No exceptions, no disclaimers, no prenups.

The verse goes on: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things . . .” I want to look now at the word hope.

What does it mean that love always hopes? It means that love holds on to eventual development. Love recognizes that where we are is not where we will always be. We are on a journey. We are works in progress.

When you see a friend who is struggling, do you take a snapshot of how he is now, caption it, and file it away as your forever definition of him? Do you label him and limit him? Because God doesn’t. And God doesn’t label or limit you and me either. Your friend is a work in progress. God has him on a journey. Take a video instead, because things will change. Two years from now there’s a good chance he will be ahead of you in some areas, and at that point you’ll be glad you stayed humble now.

For love to be love, it can’t work only when people are polished and proper and generally pleasant. Love has to work with people in the rough, with people who are anything but lovable, at least on the surface. Love has to be able to say, “I know you’re on a journey, but I love you right where you are. Sooner or later you’re going to make progress; but in the meantime, I love you and am committed to you.”

Love needs to hope because we all have a long way to go. When we say, “You’re on a journey,” what we’re really saying is, “You are pretty much a train wreck. You are off the tracks right now, and actually you can’t even find the tracks, but God is going to put your little locomotive back on the rails and get you going really soon.”

Ask yourself: Aren’t you glad someone believed in you back in the day? Aren’t you glad someone found you off the tracks and helped you get back on?

Love hopes all things. This could save your marriage, your family, and your friendships. Just keep hoping and believing and bearing. Sooner or later love will win.

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