1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 Charity suffereth long, and is kind….
[King James translation]
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
[New International translation]
SUMMARY
1 Corinthians 13 is part of the epistles (i.e. a letter) to the church in Corinth. The Apostle Paul went to Corinth on one of his missionary journeys. It was one of his “stops.” Acts 18:1 notes that Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, where he met a number of people (a Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla) and where Paul spoke at the synagogue regularly.
As a guide to the early Christian churches, Paul engages in a number of discourses on various topics. Many refer to 1Corinthians 13 as Paul’s discourse on “love.” However, if you were to ask many born prior to 1960, they probably remember 1 Corinthian as a discourse on “charity,” because the King James translation uses the word “charity” while many modern translations of this scripture use the word “love.”
Whether you think of 1 Corinthians as the scripture on “love” or “charity,” it is probably no mistake that the writers, who Paul identifies in 1 Corinthians 1:1 as himself and Sosthenese,1 begin the discourse with “Charity [or Love] is patient.”
If you think about CHRIST “giving” HIS life for humanity, despite all of humanity’s continued imperfections, and that HE did this out of love for me and you, it is perhaps easier, to see the connection between “giving” (charity), and love and patience. Despite humanity’s failure to “do the right thing” over and over again, right up to the present, CHRIST still gave HIS life. GOD showed an extraordinary amount of patience on the cross for us, while we were yet sinners, in suffering and dying for us on the cross. HIS was a long-suffering.
CHRIST’s love was “love in action.” HE gave. HE healed. HE interacted with people. Often when the disciples or others were trying to rush HIM--- keep HIM from taking time to talk with a woman no one else would have talked with,2 or keep HIM from spending time with children,3 or dealing with people outside his borders,4 or spending time with someone everyone else rejected, JESUS stopped and interacted with them anyway.5 CHRIST took time to be with people, minister to them, acknowledge them and love them. HE gave of himself, HE was patient, kind, not easily angered, not self-seeking.
HIS giving of HIMSELF was love in action.
LOVE YOURSELF INTO ACTION
In “What Happens To Your Brain When You Learn a New Skill,” Christa Sterling states that learning something new at any age has a powerful impact on your brain. She states that scientists have shown:
Each and every time we learn something new our brain forms new connections and neurons and makes existing neural pathways stronger or weaker. Some experts call these changes “plasticity” in the brain.
According to scientists:
Your brain will continue changing right up until the end of your life, and the more you learn along the way, the more your brain will change and the more “plastic” it will be.
It is equally interesting that studies have shown that “being bored” (which can occur when you do not learn new things very often) can be dangerous to your health. A British research study showed that people who reported being bored over a long period of time had heart disease rates that were twice as high as those who did not report boredom or little learning.
According to studies, not having new experiences and learning new things slows the brain down and makes the brain less responsive. Furthermore, there have been a number of reports that learning is good for your health and that adult learning can slow the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s and dementia. See,https://ccsuconed.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-learn-a-new-skill.
What does this mean for most of us? Here are just a few things to consider:
- Winter is not the just hibernate and “do nothing.” Everyone needs to still maintain some physical and mental level of activity.
- If you exercise, remember to switch it up. Try a cross-training workout or try a class in something you have never tried before. Because if you do the exact same workout every single time, your brain and your body will become “bored.”
- Overcoming the fear that may come from being adventurous and trying something new is definitely worth it if you end up with a sharper, better you!
See, “The Many Health Benefits of Trying New Things,” by Lauren Mazzo, September 17, 2017; https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/benefits-of-trying-new-things.
When you start a new workout, the improvements you see in the first four to six weeks are actually mainly neurological. Your brain is learning how to most efficiently recruit your muscles to complete the moves….
Id. Pushing yourself to exercise, to learn new things, will build your courage, your body and your brain. You are more capable than you may think!
BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF, BUT DON’T PROCRASTINATE
JESUS was patient with the disciples (as HE is with us), but that did not stop HIM from his mission, or from loving others. Often the disciples didn’t understand what JESUS was doing, but eventually, the disciples learned to think and act like JESUS and love too. We can do the same. The more we learn about JESUS, the more we learn to act like JESUS, we will gain greater spiritual strength and love more too.
Likewise, learning new things may take time. At times it may be frustrating. Be patient with yourself. Give your brain time to learn and gain greater plasticity. Soon your new routine will become your “old routine,” and you can move on to other new things and more learning. Remember, the mission: Greater Spiritual and Physical Health! Pray and have faith!
LOVE and LEARN and BE BLESSED!
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1Sosthenes was the chief ruler of the synagogue in Corinth. He was seized and beaten by a Jewish mob in front of Gallio, the governor when Sosthenes refused to turn against Paul (Acts 18:12-17).
2See, John 4: 27, which notes that even the disciples were surprised when they found JESUS talking with a woman.
3See Matthew 19:13-14, which notes that when the little children were brought to JESUS to be blessed, the disciples rebuked them and tried to shoo them away, but JESUS welcomed the children to HIM. HE took the time to touch each of them.
4See Luke 8:43-48. When the woman with the issue of blood touched the “border of his garment,” JESUS, didn’t put up any walls, HE immediately stopped to seek the woman out, despite the incredulity of the disciples. JESUS stopped, sought her out and found her.
5See Luke 19:1-10. Despite being a Roman tax collector,” and despised and so low (especially in the social hierarchy of the synagogue) so that he had to climb a tree to see JESUS (and perhaps stay a safe distance away from the crowd), JESUS saw Zacchaeus’ need. JESUS reached out to Zacchaeus and went to his house to fellowship with him.
