Read 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I really love words! So when I read a couple of different translations of this verse I was struck at the varying translations of the word “bears.” The ESV uses “bears,” the NLT uses “never gives up,” the NIV uses “protects” and the GW uses “patience” as the descriptor. That was a significant amount of variation so I spent some time dissecting the word “bears” and it turns out there are also a lot of different uses for that word – so maybe it isn’t a surprise that so many translations use a different word. Here are a few definitions I found:
- to accept or allow oneself to be subjected to, especially without giving way
- to support the weight of
- to hold in the mind or emotions
- To render or give
- To produce or yield fruit
- To be patient or forbearing
The thing is – I see a little bit of all those definitions in the different translations. It isn’t one of them…it’s all of them. When it comes to loving people well, it might be a whole lot easier if there was just one definition…maybe one we could add to a checklist so we could know when we got it right. But that isn’t quite how it works is it? Loving well often requires us to assess the situation in front of us and ask ourselves some questions. To show love well – do I need to give my support in some way? Do I need to exhibit patience? Do I need to stay engaged rather than pull away because the situation is uncomfortable? How can I show love in this situation that would bring something good out of it?
What do you need to do today to love well?
