A Love That Never Fails
/CARISSA PLUTA
PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH WIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY
You’ve probably heard this passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians at countless wedding ceremonies, or seen it written on numerous Valentine’s Day cards and on rustic-looking pallets in every craft store you’ve ever entered.
I mean, I totally get it. Patient, kind, trusting, hopeful--who doesn’t want their love described like that?
But for me, it’s easy to let these pretty words just sit decoratively on a page or a canvas but much more difficult to actually have a love that never fails.
The first Valentine’s Day I spent with my now husband was a memorable one, and one he would still (surprisingly) describe as the best yet.
We were still in college and since it was my first Valentine’s Day in a romantic relationship, I was determined to make it special.
However, when I woke up that morning with a sore throat (that turned into chills and a fever by the evening), we abandoned our previous plans, and opted for a quiet night of movie-watching in my apartment.
Then, to my absolute horror, just as we were saying goodbye, I turned and got sick right in the middle of my tiny kitchen. Ben helped me up to bed and then cleaned up the mess I had left behind.
Many of us, myself included, sometimes cling too tightly to the nice feelings associated with love. We want romance--candlelit dinners, dancing under the stars; we don’t often find ourselves yearning for the messiness of everyday life.
The sentimentality that often accompanies this holiday in particular certainly has a place in relationships; feeling loved is a beautiful gift, romance is meant to be enjoyed.
But this memory of my first Valentine’s Day with Ben is what I think of when I hear the definition of love given to us by Paul.
St. Paul describes love as an act of the will. Love demands that we make the choice time and time again to practice patience, kindness, or selflessness, especially when it is difficult.
It often looks less like long walks on the beach and more like Christ on the cross, laying down our life to serve another.
This makes the Christian understanding of love stand in stark contrast to the idea presented to us by the media and the culture. Love, we are told, is something you can fall in and out of as the winds change and it shouldn’t cost over whole selves.
But love must be tested and found worthy before it can be said to be one that never fails.
