“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
1 Corinthians 13:4–5 (NKJV)
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
If you read this in other translations, especially the Amplified, that phrase “thinks no evil” is explained as love does not take account of a wrong endured. It does not keep a record of wrongs.
When I read that, I examine myself.
I have sat on my bed and replayed offences. I have thought about what I should have said, what I will say next time, and how I will respond if they ever try that again. Sometimes for minutes. Sometimes for days. And if I am honest, there are things people did to me years ago that I can still remember clearly.
So I have to ask myself, does that mean my love walk still needs to be perfected? Yes. Yes, it does.
Please, hold your own heart up to this scripture. Does your mind travel back to what your spouse did years ago when you argue today? Do you refuse to help someone, not because God said no, but because last time they mishandled your kindness?
Hello Amnesia
It sounds like this scripture is asking for something that seems impossible. That is when someone offends you and leaves your presence; you wipe the slate clean. And when they show up again, you do not relate to them based on yesterday’s wrong. For all intents and purposes, it is like the offence never existed. To me, that sounds like amnesia.
And I will not pretend that this is not painful to the flesh. Because part of you says, is it not self-preservation to remember? If I forget, am I not putting myself in harm’s way? That is why God gave you the Spirit of wisdom. You can forgive and still have boundaries. You can release someone and still be led by the Holy Spirit about how close they should stand in your life.
What it means is that you are no longer chained to your record of them. If you meet them years later and they have changed, you are free to see them afresh, prayerfully, wisely.
Beloved, remember that God is love. And what He asks of you, He has done for you. Because of Jesus, when you come before Him for mercy, your slate is wiped clean. He does not relate to you based on your old record.
Prayer
So today, ask the Lord to purge your heart of stored offences. The internal diary. The mental archive. Ask Him to free you from constantly revisiting what was done. Ask Him to give you wisdom in complex situations. Ask in Jesus name.
Amen.
Shalom
