Love Endures All Things…hmm?

5Open rebuke is better than love concealed. 6Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (Proverbs 27:5-6)

It is better to have people in your circle that are more loyal to GOD and what pleases Him than those willing to compromise what they believe is right to please you. The first and greatest commandment speaks to loyalty to GOD above all. According to verse six in the cited text, if there is someone that has shown themselves to be a true friend in accordance with the commands of GOD, then you should trust their intent even if they do something that wounds you. On the other hand, you should be cautious of those who profess to love you yet show disregard for GOD’s commands. I love the way this Proverb distinguishes the difference between true friends and “frenemies” [frenemies: an informal word for those who resemble friends but do things indicative of an enemy]. Friends are those who will tell you the truth even when they know there is a chance you will not like it. True friends will accept your approvals as well as your disapprovals. They will accept your loving kisses as well as your loving cuts. Christ calls us His friends, yet He prunes us to make us more fruitful. Sometimes old habits must be lost so that more mature and fruitful habits can be practiced. The notice for this change may come from a dear friend and grieve you a bit but it comes because it is necessary for new growth.

I get it. Many of us are in defense mode because we all have most likely experienced toxic relationships where someone we considered a friend stabbed us to our harm rather than cut us for our good. Unhealed trauma can produce behavioral disorders like resisting or dismissing a true friend who is not attempting to harm you. I call that a behavioral disorder because if someone is your friend, then you should trust their intent and their actions should always be processed in trust rather than distrust. Unhealed trauma says anyone can stab you at any time, so trust no one. There is no fear in mature love. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that love hopes all things and believes all things. Does that mean that love is gullible? No, because 1 Corinthians 13 also says that love rejoices in truth. Love treasures all truth whether it is preferable or not because either way you are informed so you are liberated to choose the light. Only those who embrace deception prefer the cover of darkness.

What kind of friendships are you seeking? Are you seeking friendships founded on biblical love according to spirit and truth, or are you seeking friendships after the flesh which always make you feel good? Someone once told me that people seek companionship based on how people make them feel. Another person told me that they avoid relationships that produce drama, in other words, relationships that can make your heart feel heavy as well as light, having both highs and lows. These types of friends are the definition of what is known as fair weather friends. We know that life comes with all types of weather, because things that grow and produce life need both rain and sunshine, cold and heat. This is also why the Apostle Paul rights in 1 Corinthians 13 that love bears all things.

As children of GOD, we should be seeking to share His dynamic and robust love. Strong relationships are founded on divine love, which is weighty, robust, dynamic, and eternal. Christ tells us to love one another as He has loved us. Everything Christ does or says is the purest example of love you will ever see because He is the very expression of Love. When you read through the recorded acts of Christ in holy scripture, you will see that He told people the truth at times whether they wanted to hear it or not. You will also see that some people’s feelings were hurt by what He said as well as angered. Feelings are a poor determiner of the authenticity of love. Let the commands of Christ serve as your standard for love and the acts of Christ serve as your examples of love and let the Spirit of GOD become your source of love.