First Corinthians, Chapter 13 ...is the ideal we should always strive for. The ideal is a clear standard. And though we know we can never achieve it ...we should believe it.

Yes, I know we live in reality ...and everything is not the same for each individual.  Though the love of Jesus is for everyone, for each individual.

Yet, though Jesus extends His love to each individual ...each individual reserves the right to place whatever value they want on that love.

There is nothing that God doesn't understand about love ...we are only limited by what we understand about God.  But, God understands our limitations ...and we should understand the difference between excusing and forgiving.

Here are some of the ways we often are ...that we ask God forgiveness for:

• Sometimes love is impatient.
• Sometimes love seems like a different kind.
• Sometimes love thinks too little of itself, and covers the feeling with the opposite expression.
• Sometimes love is offended, hurts the esteemed self, and can become rude, or even angry for a bit.
• Sometimes love begins to list wrongs, from anywheres of fifteen to twenty or so years ago, in spite of the often stated excuse, "I'm sorry, I forgot! At times it's hard for me to remember things that happened just last week."  (A week argument, and if you think I'm buying that, you must think I'm in a days) ...and speaking of remembering, or lack of it:
• Sometimes love calls another on the phone about a personal need on the other's Anniversary, doesn't have a clue, and then keeps the person occupied for over an hour with a discussion over politics ...when that other person could be spending quality time with their beloved spouse (the guilty party not preventing those delights, but admittedly interrupting the inevitable Anniversary snuggles). 
• Sometimes love can be really stupid (that's the truth, whether rejoiced in, or not).
• But, sometimes love ignores (protects) all that ...simply because that is love.
• Admittedly, it's still stupid of me (and you can trust continued mess-ups).
• I hope that you won't be the same way when you get to be my age.
• And thanks for persevering ...you'll have to, as you'll be seeing me in a couple more months.