Love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not arrogant or rude, it does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrong doing but, rejoices in the truth, it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
Love, defined by God, requires humility. Humble. Modest. Submissive. The destruction of my independence, power, or will. These are all words and phrases that describe humility. They are also words that I have a difficult time fitting into my office, the conference call I just hung up from, my social media threads, my culture. Self is what reigns and it’s what causes me to fail. The destruction of my independence. Independence is what I’ve been taught to fight for, strive toward and hold with a relentless grip. Independence is what God says I must sacrifice to draw near and to know him.
Proverbs tells us that with humility comes wisdom and that humility and the fear of the lord will bring rewards of wealth and honor and life. We’re told that God opposes the proud but, gives grace to the humble. And grace is what God gave to his son who, in the most humble act of the ages, let go of life in amazing LOVE for me. My mind tangles thinking about all the ways the expectations of my earthly dwelling and my eternal home contradict one other. The words to draw near and to know him ring gloriously in my ears like a beckoning, luring me into the peace of his chambers. In his chambers is where I think “Humility is a small price to pay to know him (who is love), to draw near to him”.