4:164 – Love Doesn’t Keep Score, But I Do

#faithbites #faithjourney score

Setting

This is a very personal #faithbites as I am fully admitting I fail often. God tells that love keeps no records of wrong but I do. I track when I did something or when someone else didn’t do something. I remember when I was wronged. This is not love.

This #faithbites has been in my head for a while as I’ve felt hypocritical for saying we should love one another at all times when I don’t fully do it. It’s not a conscious choice. I struggle with just letting things go and loving fully. Most of the time I can, but some little things bug me and add up. That has led to more than one blowup. This bothers me and rocks me to the core as I’m trying to find ways of not keeping track or score and living new each day. But, and this is a big but, it’s not easy.

Today’s questions: Does your love keep track of wrongs? What can you do to not keep score? How can God’s love be an example for us in letting it go?

Scripture

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
• 1 Peter 3:9 – ⁹ Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
• Lamentations 3:22-33 – The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Reflection

If you have been to a Christian wedding, chances are you’ve heard all of part of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, also known as the love chapter. While it talks about God’s love for us, we use it to talk about our love for each other. It’s a great statement and one we need to live by. It is also one we fail at, at least I do.

The question is, what is the danger of keeping score? The problem is, if you are keeping score, you will also being losing. You’ve also done more for others and feel that you aren’t getting what you deserve. That then leads to evil thoughts, action, or deed against the ones we love. We see this clearly in 1 Peter. When we see our loved ones as evil, they didn’t do as much as they should, then we are repaying them with evil. Maybe it’s a cold shoulder or ignoring them. Maybe it’s adultery or other sins. There is no good ending here. All of it is bad news.

What we see though is hope. If we get it wrong, God’s love renews us every day. Jesus forgives us and makes us white as snow. all we have to do is ask for his forgiveness. This is one where there is no easy answer. We all get frustrated when we feel we are doing more than our loved ones. The challenge is finding out why we feel that way, asking our loved ones if they feel that way, and finding a new solution.

As we close, love is not a game or contest. There is no winners or losers based on score. In love, we all win or we all lose. No one gets off Scott free. Jesus taught us how to love, we just need to put it into practice.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for your example of love. You showed us that you loved your disciples even after betrayal and being renounced. You forgive and loved no matter what. Help us to love like that. Let bygones be bygones. Please forgive us when we fail. Forgive me for my failures.

Lift up our hearts so that we no longer feel the need to keep score. Let us be people who follow you and love like you do. Lord, we pray that you give us the strength to let things go and the discernment when to engage our loved ones in discussion on how to improve our lives. Because, just as you keep no record of wrongs, neither should our love. In your name, we pray, Amen.