1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels,
4 Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
5 It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil .
What’s beautiful is that these traits–being patient, kind, not indulging in envy or boasting, not being proud, or rude, or self-seeking, or easily angered–are all behavioural traits.
So the gifts which God gives you, which you can do nothing about either way–eloquence in speech, spiritual gifts like tongues, prophecy, spiritual wisdom, understanding and discernment, faith, the ability to endure heroic self-sacrifice– have nothing to do with character, with the kind of person you really are.
What matters is the behaviour that the wise man of the age, as well as the simplest and least privileged of God’s children can adopt–being patient and kind, not arrogant or boastful or rude or easily angered, not keeping a record of wrongs.
Easy, isn’t it?
Except when someone takes it upon themselves to be just the opposite to us. To be impatient and unkind, to be jealous of us, to boast, to show off, be rude, self-seeking and irascible.
Our reactions reveal to what extent we are really controlled by the spirit of God.
And if, we fail?
We repent, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again.
And that is the true beauty of the Christian life.
Read my new memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India (US) or UK.
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anitamathiaswriter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anita.mathias/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnitaMathias1
My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) or UK
Anita Mathias says
Thanks, Rhoda!
Rhoda says
I love this,especially the line: 'We repent, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again.' – it is wonderful that God is so gracious to us that we can do that 🙂
Anita says
You are welcome, Sandy. I enjoyed your blog!
Mom of 12 says
Thanks for stopping by my blog! You are so nice to leave comments…you can never have too many of those. Interesting pics!
Sandy
Anita Mathias says
Thanks, Adulcia!
Adulcia says
Nicely written. Thank you.