I love the 1 Corinthians 13 definition of love. I even hung that jewel of a scripture on my bathroom wall. I mean, who doesn’t love those verses? It’s one of the most read aloud chapters outside local church walls.
I recently studied 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. I broke it down, brothas and sistas. But, verse 7, “It always protects…” hit me hardest. Get this:
The Greek word for protects is “stego.” It means “to cover over in silence.” Impressed? Don’t be. I looked it up. Now raise your hand if you think of physical protection when you read “protects?” As if my one-hundred and ahem pound body could really save you from physical harm – even though I love ya.
But it literally means that we cover an individual with such a cloak of love that no one can see his or her faults. Isn’t that beautiful?
So, love doesn’t expose the faults of others. Wanna know the easiest way to not expose faults? Don’t look for them. If it’s easy for me to notice a fault, then it’s easy for me to expose that fault.
Don’t. Shut yo eyes and choose grace instead.
It’s not love. No matter how you try to shake it. M’kay?
My apologies if I stepped on any toes. I pretty much broke all of mine.
But, it changed the way I view love. And, more importantly, it changed the way I love.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
DustyTakle.com 
So beautiful! Thank you for this “new” definition of a love that protects.
I love this….thank you my friend
LOVE IT…. This passage has been on my heart since May (I think it was)…. The part that has totally changed so much about me is the Love is Patient / Love is Kind…. If I am not being patient, I am not loving enough… If I am not kind, I am not loving enough.
Has totally rocked my world in how I parent and interact with my husband. I am patient because I SO LOVE THEM…. And when I start to feel myself begin to want to get impatient, it removes this feeling. WOW.
Now I am going to chew on the PROTECT for a while….
Love you – Love this – LOVE this GOD who put us together and then put us is places we never imagined!!
ps – glad you are back to blogging…. I have wanted to send you an email telling you to get back to it, but then,I would remember I love you and to be kind 😉 HA!
Whew. Choose grace. What an “easy” thing to say, huh? Um, no. But when we DO choose grace, I think we get an extra sprinkle of His grace. So we CAN keep on loving ’em. Sometimes the unlovable doesn’t live outside our home (as in our Crazy Love series). Sometimes, during circumstances that they cannot control, our loved ones become unlovable. It’s then that we have GOT to remember this scripture. So we can protect (and I outweigh you by 2011 lbs….hehe). And love.
Great. Something just popped into my head. I may be doing an adjunct to this on my blog. So now, when you face Jesus, you don’t have to tell Him “no I never encouraged her to blog”. Ha. Love you!
Love it Dusty! Learning so much from you and your sweet Daddy. Trying to be “intentional” in loving others and see them thru the eyes of Jesus. Not always easy but always worth it. Love you girl!
Love it Dusty! Learning so much from you and yo sweet Daddy. So many people in my life who are hard to love but determined to be “intentional” in loving others. But girlfriend, you’re soooo easy to love! And I do! ❤
Thank you for this insight. The timing is very much a God thing. And thank you for writing again. You have been missed.