Love Never Fails

This week's song has been around for a while..."Love Never Fails," by Brandon Heath.  Yesterday my husband walked in the door from work and told me how he was listening to this song and wondering about all those people out there who have suffered pain because of love, how is it that "love never fails."  "Oooh," I thought, "that's a really good question, and something that would make a great discussion."  I then proceded to tell him how I interpreted the song, and those words.  Have a listen, and then I'll share with you my thoughts....

It's true that I have listened to this song when I was dealing with feelings of disappointment about someone I love.  When I felt that my love wasn't reciprocated in the same way.  And that's what my husband's question was about, what about people who love someone so deeply but never receive that love in return?  Is love failing them?  The way that I interpret those words, "Love Never Fails," is that true perfect love is God's love and it is that love that never fails us.  His love will never fail us.  His love is something that is an example of what our love should be like, though it may be impossible for our love to be as perfect as His. 

So when I listen to this song and think about the hurt that I have felt from someone that says they love me or the hurt that I have caused someone that I love, I am reminded that this humanly love is far from being that love that God has for us.  It is not perfect, it will fail us sometimes.  But we can aspire, dream, hope for loving relationships on this earth that will come close to that perfect love.  And if we don't ever find those relationships, we know that we do have the greatest love of all, that of our Maker, our Father, our Counselor.  Though our circumstances that cause us pain may not change the way we want them to, God is always there for us to cry out to, to hold us, to be the ever-forgiving Father that we need. 

This song for me is an extension of the words that likely inspired it, from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians:

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres.  Love never fails.
1Corinthians 13: 4-8

Love is not proud, Love does not boast, Love after all matters the most
Love does not run, Love does not hide, Love does not keep locked inside
Love is the river that flows through, Love never fails you

Love will sustain, Love will provide, Love will not cease at the end of time
Love will protect, Love always hopes, Love still believes when you don't
Love is the arms that are holding you, Love never fails you

Love is right here, Love is alive, Love is the Way, the Truth, the Life

Love is the river than flows through, Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to, Love never fails you

As I read this again, I realize that I should read this every morning.  If we were to have these verses be our commandment in our daily lives, how different would our lives be? 

May you read these words, listen to this song, and be renewed about the meaning of love, what true love should be.  I pray that you are encouraged, that though it sometimes seems that we are not loved as much as we desire, we are always loved unconditionally by our Lord.  And if we do our best to share His kind of love with those around us, we can truly impact the lives of those around us, and our own as well.