1 Corinthians 13:4a – “Love is patient and kind”
On March 1, 2007, Swiss Army troops invaded its tiny neighbor-nation, Lichtenstein. A group of about 170 Swiss soldiers accidentally crossed the unmarked border between the two nations before recognizing where they were. The incident occurred in bad weather and in the middle of the night, when Switzerland is hard to tell apart from its neighbors. “It was all so dark out there,” said one of the misdirected recruits.
When they eventually discovered they had been accidentally invaded, Liechtenstein showed it knows how to bring a failed military action to a happy conclusion and not retaliate. “You just turn around and sneak back home as quickly and quietly as you can before anybody notices.” (Source: Peter Stamm, “Switzerland invades Liechtenstein.” The Opinion Pages, www.nytimes.com, 13 Mar. 2007).
How great it would be if all such “invasions” in life could be met with such kindness—especially those where our personal space or rights are invaded! When our feelings are wounded intentionally or unintentionally, our fleshly side wants us to retaliate immediately. That is the opposite of what Paul wrote in his love chapter: “Love is patient and kind.” Paul personifies love as a person who acts in the ways Christians should imitate. Perhaps our first response to a wound should be patience, giving time for kindness and forgiveness to come forth. When we show kindness, it will always return like a boomerang.
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