Love that chooses

The love Paul describes here isn't a feeling — it's a decision. It's a verb. "Suffers long" — it endures. "Is kind" — it acts well. These are verbs of action, not of emotion. And that is the best news in the world for anyone in a real marriage, with real days.

Because there will be days when you won't feel love. You'll feel tired, irritated, disappointed. And on those days, the love that remains is the love that chooses — even without the flutter in your stomach, even without the desire. It's waking up and deciding to be kind. It's holding back the word that would have wounded. It's asking how he is doing when you yourself are overwhelmed. That is not weakness — it is the strongest form of love there is. It is the love Jesus showed. And when you choose to love this way, God steps into that choice and sustains it.