1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The other day, I was having a discussion with a good friend who is going through some heartache.  I could certainly relate.  This is what I said;

"I know what it's like to be ripped to shreds by someone.  To be left wondering what went wrong and how they could walk away from a relationship so seemingly perfect.  And to wonder if they'll ever see it the way you did and come back.  I'm still healing from a love like that.  The kind where you deserve to hate the person, but your stupid heart won't let you want anything but the best for them.  And you just want them to say or do something that will erase all the hurt and make it okay.

But I realized something recently: nothing will ever make it okay.  Even if they came back to you, they'd never be able to erase that hurt and the effects it's had on your life.  And there are no words that can undo what you've gone through the past year without them.

But the saving grace in all of this is that the very hurt they caused has left behind a scar that changed who we are.  It had a permanent effect on us and because of it we've become someone we never would have otherwise become.  And I like that scar.  I like who I am because of it.

And in the midst of all of that pain, I can read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and know that I must be doing something right, because I couldn't possibly hurt like this without first loving like that."

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.