1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love “Always trusts”. What does it mean to always trust? Does it mean that love is naive, always opening itself up to be walked over or taken advantage of again and again? 

 

In this passage, “trust” doesn’t mean what we tend to think of as trust. In our culture today, we think of trust as a self-made pinky promise. I have decided that ______ is trustworthy. I trust that _____ won’t break my confidence in them. Trust has to do with what we think of another person and our own perception of what they do.

 

However, in this passage, the word for trust, pisteuó, has a meaning more similar to believing in. Most of the time when the Bible talks of people turning away from their sin and believing or trusting in Jesus, pisteuó is used. No human brain can fully understand all of Christianity. We live in a fallen world with a brain that is not meant to fully comprehend God. If we could, there would be no need for faith. In the same way, love always believing has nothing to do with what we think or perceive of someone and everything to do with God believing that everyone deserves love. Love always trusts that God’s love covers all. 

 

Is there somebody whom you are holding out on loving? Maybe someone whom you think isn’t deserving of love because of the betrayal they have brought to you. God already has decided that they are deserving of love, He decided that on the day Jesus was crucified for the whole world. Spend some time doing some thinking about this person. How could you love them? Love doesn’t mean letting them take advantage of you necessarily. Maybe it’s actively praying for them. Maybe it’s actively being kind to them and helping them when you see opportunities. How can you love them with the kind of love that God is showing you?