Love Never Fails

“Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

You’ve seen love between people fail. Sometimes terribly. The more experience you have with people, the less true 1 Corinthians 13:8 seems. Over the years I’ve had a lot of people ask me about this verse, because they’ve been through so much pain. I don’t have all the answers, but it’s been an essential revelation to me that the word for “fail” in this verse means to quit and abandon.

Love never fails because God is love (1 John 4:16), and he is eternal (John 1:1-5). He never abandons you. His love is always, always available to you, no matter what you’ve gone through, or what you’re facing.

Even at the lowest points of my life, I’ve still experienced his unfailing love. In fact, sometimes that’s all I’ve known—that Jesus loves me, and I love him. It’s not a religious affectation. This is my reset button, the truth I start over from when nothing else around me makes sense. It’s the truth that renews my mind, and the grace that restores my heart.

“Love never fails” doesn’t mean someone you love will receive it, and everything between you will be the way you want. It means God has more than enough love for you to deal with your circumstances and relationships, including the strength to love those who don’t return it.

Some days you know that, and it’s not that hard to do. But then there are days all you can hear is, “Trust me.” These are the most important of moments, when you decide who’s going to be in control, and how you’re going to view and relate to the world—through fear and bitterness, or love and grace.

Give your insecurity, pain, and brokenness to Jesus, and invite him to replace them with his faithfulness, hope, and love. Open your heart to him again. Listen. Stay here until you can feel the awe of his presence. Then say it out loud—not as a desperate wish, but as a declaration over your life:

“Love never fails.”