Love never fails

God has been teaching me so much lately, but one lesson has stood above all others: He demands that His children demonstrate true love. In this regard I have found myself sorely lacking, yet paradoxically, I have grown more in this area of my life than perhaps any other over the past few years. The kind of love God commands His children to demonstrate is found in many biblical passages, but perhaps none so pointed as I Corinthians 13. This famous passage on love end with this phrase at the beginning of verse 8, "Love never fails." For those who know me, you hear over and over again about my oldest son Joshua. He has been my greatest tutor in this regard. Another challenging chapter took place this week,where his caregivers at school (whom we appreciate very much) are being faced with some serious difficulties. And the question for Suzanne and I comes up again, "Will they persevere with him?" Their level of dedication needs to be very high, and there are days that he gives them more than they can handle. What they need is godly love: love that can only come from God--love that never fails. Of course as his father, my level of commitment to my oldest son is higher than anyone else, except for my wife of course. But this love isn't that remarkable in my opinion. I am his father after all--he is my son. Most parents would do the same. What is remarkable--indeed what is uniquely from God is demonstrating this same unfailing love for those who are not close to us, to those who might even be strangers. I find unfailing love increasingly difficult to find these days. Our world seems to have taken self indulgence and put it on steroids. People glory in their mean spiritedness toward others. From sports to politics, to American Idol judges (one in particular), self centeredness seems to be on the rise. But this should never be the case in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. What kind of faith does God find well pleasing? Faith that goes the distance. Commitment that perseveres. Love that never fails. God has used Josh to teach me this, and I see others differently as a result. So much change has happened that those who knew me when I was younger have a hard time recognizing who I am. Not that I've arrived by any means, but I am changing. And so I thank my Lord for the tough lessons. That I might persevere with others in love. If anything is the badge of faithful Christian witness it should be this: love that never fails. Words to meditate on to be sure.