Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Love requires what my grandma used to refer to as sticktoitiveness. You might know it as tenacity, grit, determination, persistence, or just plain stubbornness. Whatever you call it, you’re going to need it, because people are icky and loving them is difficult. We all carry hard-earned baggage through this sinful, broken world, and trying to tackle and love through these issues can be like taking down a redwood with a spork–it can be done, but it’s going to take a while, and you’re going to get blisters.

Yes, I just mixed several metaphors there, but you get the picture.

Beloved, infatuation is easy; love is difficult. God has not called us to infatuation. John 3:16 does not say that God was so infatuated with the world that He gave His Son.

Nope…that took love.

Happy Monday, Beloved