Chapter 14: Love Is Patient

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. Love never ends.”

--1 Corinthians 13: 1-8a

“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
--Proverbs 16: 18

When I was in college, my roommate “Dixie” was my sorority sister, friend, and teacher, all rolled into one. She was from a privileged family from Baltimore and because I held her in high esteem, she was the only one who could correct my grammar without offending me. When I would ask something like, “Where’s the ballgame at?” She would gently say, “Where is the ballgame?” Although I’m still somewhat of a country hick, at least now I know how to speak with proper English, thanks to Dixie.

Upon her graduation from college, Dixie hand-copied the verses about love from 1 Corinthians 13 neatly on a piece of paper and gave them to me as a gift. It was the first time I remember seeing those words and probably the first time I’d really thought about what true love means...

To read the rest of this chapter, you will now need to buy my book, Simple Faith, Mighty Faith, published by Cornhusker Press and released 7-3-2011. Go to my website, http://www.JerriHaussler.com for ordering details. Thank you!

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Thoughts to Ponder/Points for Discussion

1. Can you remember a time when your pride over-ruled your good sensibility? Looking back on the incident, what would you do differently?

2. As you ponder the verses from 1 Corinthians 13, do you see any changes that you need to make in your friendships or loving relationships? How can you begin to make those changes?