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 perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NASB1995).

When 1 Corinthians 13 is often quoted, verse 8 (“Love never fails”) gets left out. This is unfortunate because if we truly believe love never fails, it can inspire us to love when it is hard.

During our separation, I got to the point where I became convinced that each day my job was to do the best I could, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to love Sharon as laid out in 1 Corinthians 13. I often failed, but I became more and more confident that whether we reconciled our marriage or not, if I were truly loving her, in the long run, there would be wonderful results, even though I did not know what those would be.

Some days loving her was leaving her alone. Somedays, it was showing up at a counseling appointment or a mediation appointment with her and doing my best to be loving in those tough situations. Somedays, loving her was to say no to a dissolution. Every day, loving her included finding hope for us when there appeared to be no hope.

I am so thankful that Jesus brought us back together. We continue to learn how to love one another and others better each day. It is a lifelong journey.