Love Won Out

I was in a situation recently where I felt silenced. There were multiple voices in the conversation and mine wasn’t the loudest or the most forceful. It felt as if every time I began to speak, I was talked over.

I know it wasn’t intentional. I love these people, but I still felt frustrated and offended. I thought about raising my voice to talk over those who kept talking over me, but I knew that wouldn’t be helpful, so I paused a moment and considered my options. Instead of fighting to have my voice heard, I felt the invitation to a more humble and gentle way.

The dynamic of the conversation didn’t change right away. I remained unheard for quite a while, but then a shift happened. The louder voices eventually died down and someone asked me for my opinion. I didn’t have to enter the fray. I didn’t have to fight to be louder. I didn’t have to force my way in. I didn’t have to talk over someone else. I simply had to patiently and quietly wait.

I get it wrong just as often as I get it right, but in this situation, love won out.

Ephesians 4:2 invites us to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

I don’t know what your situation is, but I do know this; circumstances in our lives can tempt us to leave the way of love. For me, this is often true when I feel dismissed, disrespected, or disparaged. My ego bruises easily and when it does, I don’t always want to respond in a particularly loving way. In my defensiveness and pride, I can match the energy of the situation around me and cause it to escalate.

Love invites me to a different way. Love invites me to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile (Matthew 5:38-40). Love invites me to be patient and kind instead of rude (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Maybe for you, the circumstance that makes you want to leave the way of love is when someone cuts you off in traffic or when the drive through gets your coffee wrong. Often, it’s the unintentional and inconvenient things that people do that irritate us most.

In these instances, I wonder what it could look like to patiently bear with one another in love? When we feel that pull to enter the fray, to get loud, or to force our own way can we be people who instead choose a more humble and gentle way? Can we be people who let love win out over our own frustration and offense?

Prayer,

God, give us the ability to choose the way of love. Help us to humble and gentle. Help us to bear patiently with one another. Give us the grace to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile, as you taught us to. Amen.

Verse:

Ephesians 4:2 NIV

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Practice:

Breath Prayer. Practice slowly breathing thorough this prayer. On the inhale, pray, “Bear with one another.” On the exhale pray, “in love.” This is a breath prayer you can use when those feelings of frustration arise.