Late night conversations on love: Sarah and Jojo Hahn
Photo by http://taylorabeel.com/
“You always…” “you never…” rarely are those words spoken out of love.
Jojo and I stayed up way too late discussing the verse “love covers a multitude of wrong”.
“That word is interesting to me because much like ‘multiply’ a multitude of wrongs implies something that has compounded upon itself.”
The saying, “an eye for and eye” has been translated as a picture of revenge, but it’s actually portraying a protection upon the transgressors. So in other words, don’t take more than what was taken.; don’t over react or over respond. For each transgression, deal justly and lovingly each time rather than building up a huge case against the person. You are more apt to show mercy and proper correction when you’re dealing with the single issue, rather than reacting to a compounded wrong that was never properly dealt with and forgiven. 1 Corinthians 13 says, “love keeps no record of wrong.” If you’re holding a record, you can never look like Jesus.
When we arrive at times of struggle with another person, often our grace and forgiveness stops short at a certain point, or sometimes it was never true forgiveness to begin with. Although we may be more lenient in the beginning, by the tenth time we are no longer in a state of love and we’ve allowed anger to rule us.
“You always do this.” Or “you never do this.” Or even “I’ve told you a bunch of times…” What those words really convey is there was no prior forgiveness for the transgression, but a delaying of punishment and a compounding of guilt to be laid against them.
The beautiful thing is that is NOT how God responds towards us. The Psalmist tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” The work of the cross was a once and for all payment. His love covers all sins; piled up, past and present. Without his ability to complete erase and forgive our sins, Jesus would have to die repeatedly for our sins that keep piling up. But we know the power of the cross has far exceeded our human ability to comprehend; we are shown Love through sacrifice and forgiveness.
Pierces the heart. So true but difficult to live by.