Loving Without Keeping Score

One of the rarest marks of genuine love is this: it doesn't keep a ledger of debts. It doesn't love while expecting to be loved back in equal measure. It doesn't count how many times it gave in, just to compare that number with how many times the other person did.

"Seeketh not her own." That goes against everything our culture teaches. The world says: take care of yourself first, set your boundaries, know when it's time to walk away. And there's wisdom in that — we're not talking about destroying yourself for someone else's sake.

But the love Paul describes goes beyond calculation. It's the love that serves even when it won't be recognized. That shows up even when it won't be remembered. That forgives even when the other person will never know what it cost.

That's the love God has for you: He loved first, with no guarantee that you would love Him back.

Today, is there some love you're conditioning on the other person's response? That you're holding back until you see whether it's worth it?

Letting go of that condition is freeing — for you and for the one you love.