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.
How's your memory?
Mine is terrible. I never remember anything. My son broke his hairbrush this week; everyday I've been to town. Everyday I've forgotten to buy him a new hairbrush.
I forget birthdays and anniversaries. I forget dental appointments. I forget to return phone calls.
I forget people's names. I forget where we've met.
I forget everything.
One of the benefits of being so forgetful is that I forget the bad stuff, too. My husband and I can be in an argument and I literally forget why I'm mad. Then I have no choice but to get over it and move on!
My forgetting comes naturally. But we are really all called to forget. I'm not talking about the whole, "forgive and forget" scenario. I'm talking about forgetting what you remember. I'm talking about knowing someone's faults and shortcomings, but choosing to overlooking.
When Paul says, love keeps no record of wrongs, that's what I think he means. I think he means remembering to forget. Choosing to overlook. I think he means giving second chances. And third and fourth and more.
It's way more fun to be a victim, for some people. It's way more rewarding to remember how much someone hurt us, to keep the fire of our anger burning. But that's not love.
Sometimes we've been truly, deeply hurt, and we cannot imagine letting go of that. And on our own strength, we can't do it! But once again, God's love living in and and through us is what fuels our love for others.
The next time you are tempted to remind someone of a mistake they've made, or something they're not good at, stop. Remember that God doesn't love you like that. Remember to forget. And forget what you remember.
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