Guest Column: "Love is Patient and Kind"

By Peggy J. Harris
Bucyrus, Ohio

I've been thinking alot about 1 Corinthians 13:4, which tells us, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

Last week my father-in-law passed away after a long battle with cancer. I always thought of my father-in-law as patient and kind. He was a man that was easy to love. As children of God we have a huge responsibility to be examples of what Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13 to demonstrate the meaning of love. Of course we do not perfectly reflect this description, either as parents, spouses or children. Sometimes we are proud and self-seeking, we do keep records of wrongs, and we are often impatient.

My mother-in-law and I have had a strained relationship over the years, to say the least. I have always thought of her as a very hard, opinionated and unforgiving woman. When I think of the care she gave to Dad over the last three years -- giving of herself and time and the concern she showed my husband for his pain -- I realize this is not the case.

We are ALL God’s children. And even though I have not always been the best daughter-in-law, I realize as I read this passage that if I have been even “a poor reflection” of God’s love, then I’ve done something right. I pray that God will forgive my short comings and help me to reflect his perfect love toward ALL of his children.

-- Peggy J. Harris is the mother of three children and three grandchildren. She is a long-time member of Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Bucyrus, Ohio.