I have previously written on 1 Cor 13:7 (see here), but for my daughter’s recent wedding, I rewrote my thoughts on love and spoke this as a toast at their reception:
1 Cor 13:7 Love bears all, believes all, hopes all endures all.
Bears all – to roof over, to cover, protect and preserve, to even suffer and endure for – patiently and in quietness. Love does not gripe or complain.
Believes all – to believe in a person, to think and be persuaded they are true, to have confidence in them, to entrust and commit to them. Love does not despair or dwell on what may go wrong.
Hopes all – joyful and confident expectation, full trust. Love does not presume disappointment.
Endures all – to remain, to hold on, to stick it out, to persevere even under trials and misfortunes, to calmly and bravely endure all. Love does flee. It does not run away. It does not give up.
Love does this because there is a precious someone we will do anything to protect, someone special who we insist on seeing the good in, someone we choose to have confidence in and enjoy doing so, someone who we will stick with and hold on to no matter what.
Love forever protects, forever believes in, forever trusts, forever perseveres with.
This is love.