[Love] believes all things. —1 Corinthians 13:7
When we say that love believes all things, it doesn’t mean love is gullible or undiscerning. Rather it means love is trusting; it’s not suspicious or cynical. Love gives people the benefit of the doubt. It makes allowances for their failure.
In Jesus’ day, the scribes and the Pharisees were considered spiritual giants, but they knew nothing of love. One of the characteristics of their selfish, proud, unloving lifestyle was their tendency to see the worst in others. They didn’t have the kind of love that believes the best.
Hatred believes the worst about someone. When someone tells you a negative story about another person, is your first reaction to think, Yeah, I’m not surprised? Or is it, Oh, they would never do that?
A loving heart assumes the best. It sees others through God’s eyes. It’s not that the people around us are all perfect, that there’s nothing sinful in them about which we should be concerned. It’s just that we want to believe the best whenever possible about the people God has put in our lives.
Make it Personal
How can you purposefully choose to see the people you come in contact with today through God’s eyes?