Love never falls

Love never falls.

No.  That is not a typo.

“Wait,” you may be saying.  “Love never fails.”

Sure doesn’t feel that way, does it?  Ever offered love to another only to have it rejected?  Ever tried to love someone whose behavior is completely unlovable?  Ever think your love could change someone only to see them continue in their destructive ways?  Ever love someone who didn’t love you back?

Go to almost any Christian wedding and you will hear the words of 1 Corinthians 13 speaking all about love.  And, there it is.  Right in verse 8.  “Love never fails.”

I recently heard a different translation that has completely changed how I understand this beloved verse.  My bible study gals and I are doing Beth Moore’s “Beyond Yourself” study about the fruit of the Spirit, and hearing Beth’s teaching on love and specifically this verse….I’ll never hear it or read it the same again.

Love never falls.

The Greek word in the original text is “ekpipto” which means “to drop off”, “to fall away”.  Beth used a skit in her video teaching that brought this to life.

Imagine your love, this fruit of the Spirit, is an actual piece of fruit.  You carry a basket of love fruit around.  Your 3-year old toddler runs up to you in the morning.  You hand them a piece of love fruit.  They smile and take it from your hands, skipping away, knowing your love.  Then, your teenager comes in, iPod in their ears, pout on their face.  You take another piece of love fruit from the basket and hand it to them, but their mood isn’t accepting and they swat the fruit from your hands.  Later your husband returns from work.  Things haven’t been the greatest between you two lately.  Life is busy and time to connect is few and far between.  Arguments seem to spring up easily.  You miss him.  You offer him your love fruit, but he’s distracted.  He doesn’t see your offer and knocks it from your hand as he rushes to the next thing.  You see your friend.  You’ve been worried about her lately.  She’s seems to be making bad choices.  You offer compassionate, loving truth for her situation.  She doesn’t want to hear it and angrily takes your love fruit and throws it away.

Your basket is almost empty.  Your fruit of love seems to be laying all around.  Fallen.  Failed.

BUT, that fruit of love offered to another, given selflessly…it doesn’t fall.  Someone saw your hand outstretched in offering of love.  Someone saw that love fruit knocked away.  Someone saw as it began its descent and Someone caught it.

God sees.  God catches.  God’s love never fails.  Godly love never falls.

Even better, He fills our basket right back up so we can continue to go on loving.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

Stay awhile...