I think everyone has heard 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 at least once at a wedding or movie about a wedding. It starts, "Love is patient, love is kind..." I have heard it many times without going too much into thought over it. But recently God has really been drawing my eye to this passage. After several weeks of meditating (and procrastinating) on this scripture, God actually put it in our Life Group homework tonight. So, I shall procrastinate no longer! I want to go into a mini-study on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as it pertains at the fruit of the spirit. I believe that every term listed under love can be attributed to another fruit of the Spirit, in addition to love. It is easy to think we have the love fruit handled. Of course I love my husband, I definitely love me kids, I "love" my phone/tv/Facebook/(insert name of object-you-cant-live-without here). But what does love really mean. This is my goal, to define love in Biblical terms and to go in depth on each section until I can embody love. So here we go...
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."
Today, I have to start with "love is not irritable." I have been SOOO irritable today. I haven't felt that great and I have been tired. Jimmy has been working almost 60 hours a week, so that leaves me to pick up the slack and be the soul source of nourishment, entertainment, transportation, bookkeeping, scheduling, and not to mention discipline to my children. These are not excuses, just a glance at where my life is at the moment. So I was snappy all day. And it didn't end when my husband got home from his almost 12 hour day (don't boo me, I already feel bad enough as it is :-/ I was even getting irritated with my husband over Life Group homework. Talk about a grouch! That was when God threw me this scripture again, reminding me that I seriously need some help expressing love to my family. After reading it, I knew I need to write this blog. If we should not be irritable, what is the opposite of irritable? The thesaurus lists the antonym of irritable as easy going. Huh, easy going. I don't think I would ever describe myself as easy going. This is something I am going to work on over the next several days. Easy going sounds way more fun to be around than irritable! Another antonym, I would say, is joy. You cannot have joy and be irritated. If I am finding joy in my children wanting my attention, I, therefore, cannot be irritated by it. I am blessed to have people who love me so much that they want to be around me and show me there many talents (such as: jumping off the sofa, hitting a baseball, sharing with their sibling, etc.). There may come a day that my children don't ask me to watch them do things anymore if I always act irritated by it, in fact I know there would be. I AM joyful that my children care enough about me to show me things. If my husband desires me, I should be joyful. There are many men out there who do not find their wives desirable and go outside their marriage to satisfy their desires. I should NEVER be irritated that my husband finds me attractive. I am blessed to have someone who feels that way about me. I should never be irritated, period. There is no reason other than being ungrateful for the beautiful life I lead. I am humbled as I write this for the sour attitude I had today. Forgive me Lord, I will forever look at being irritable in a different light.
Please join my in discontinuing irritability from your life. Don't settle for excuses, do it today. Your outlook will be forever changed :-)
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