“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
These four verses of the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) describe the nature of lasting love. In the list of characteristics, we learn to frame our thinking from a place of putting “you before me.”We restructure our relationship when we come to it committed to the “you before me” approach, according to Julie Sanders, a contributing writer to Crosswalk.com. This is the real heart of 1 Corinthians 13 love.
Agape love (Christ-like love) in all relationships (a married relationship or church relationships) means that you come to the with a “you before me” attitude. This kind of heart turns the eyes and thoughts in an outward direction. Love looks for how to uplift the other person first, rather than the self.
This is what "you before me" looks like in action:
Love does this:
• Exercises patience—endures with long suffering
• Shows kindness—behaves with mildness, acts kind
• Rejoices in truth—delights in what’s true according to God
• Bears always—protects and preserves
• Believes always—trusts with confidence
• Hopes always—waits with joyful expectation
• Endures always—perseveres, remains without fleeing
Love doesn’t do this:
• Envies—harbors hot feelings of jealousy
• Boasts—vainly brags about self
• Acts arrogantly—puffs up with pride
• Dishonors others— behaves rudely
• Insists on its way—seeks self first
• Acts irritably—gets angry and provokes easily
• Keeps a record of wrongs—remembers and resents offenses
• Rejoices in wrongdoing—delights in evil things
Acts of service, confession, forgiveness, and understanding forge bonds keeping us together in a shared pursuit of mindfulness for the other person’s well-being. Love that learns to put “you before me” is worth working for. It outlasts attractive qualities and knowledge, charming language, and passionate promises. Christ-like love vows to take the path of “you before me
