“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. […] And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.“
1 Corinthians 13:8, 13:13
My father was a larger-than-life character. He square-danced every weekend, he wore a big cowboy hat paired with alligator boots, he caught rattlesnakes for fun, and he said yes to every adventure that came his way. He lived like a cowboy despite his home being in suburban North Carolina. According to my mother, light radiated from my dad.
Unfortunately, the light went out one day. My father suffered a series of severe strokes that robbed him of his ability to communicate and comprehend. For my mother, he evolved from a spontaneous cowboy to a medical patient in their own home.
While watching my parents, I got a front-row seat to real love in action. My mother meant it when she said, “in sickness and in health.” She cared for my dad with a love like I’ve never seen. When he was hungry, she fed him. When he was restless, she’d hold his hand for hours. When he was confused, she’d work tirelessly to help him understand. Their relationship looked nothing like the love in the movies, but it was as real as it gets. Because of her love, she didn’t quit on my father. Sure, she was tired. Sure, it must have been hard. However, she lived out Godly love — love that “never fails.”
Love is not just an emotion. Love is not just a word you use to describe something or someone. Love is not something you feel, say, or think about. Love is something you do. Look back at this chapter and you will see far more verbs than feelings. Love celebrates, perseveres, trusts, and hopes. Most importantly, love never fails.
People will let you down, good deeds will only get you so far, and you are prone to failure. That’s not God’s track record though. The love of God never fails. When you build your life on your skills, you will struggle. When you build your life on people’s opinions, you will be discouraged. But when you build your life on the love of God, then you are building it on something eternal. God’s love will never fail you. Build your life on God’s love, because He will never fail you.