Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. How did Paul describe love?
2. Who showed us this love perfectly through His actions?
3. Read verse 7 again in a few different translations. What do they reveal about the relationship between trust, faith, and belief?
Reflect
1 Corinthians 13:7 contains a phrase that can be translated a few different ways: love “never loses faith,” “always trusts,” or “believes all things.” Each translation option shows that the kind of love Paul wrote about, love that can only be perfectly demonstrated by God, is more powerful than the best words can describe.
To have faith in something is to trust in it or believe in it, so when we have trust in our marriages, we believe in our spouses. We all love imperfectly. When we’re hurt by our spouses, we have a choice to make: Will we believe the best or the worst about them? Will we see their mistakes as things to keep score of and hold grudges over, or will we remember the covenant we made together and our need for a savior?
In a healthy yet imperfect relationship, do you choose to believe the best? Fixating on your spouse’s negative qualities might feel good in the moment, but it will only lower the trust between you. Let your marriage be marked by both of you fighting to always believe the best about each other.
Respond
What’s your typical response to the hurt you might receive from those closest to you? What can keep you from believing the best in others? (Note: If you are in an abusive relationship, please see this list of resources.)