I Corinthians 13:4-8 may be one of the most famous passages in Scripture. I am asked to read it at many weddings. While appropriate, it doesn’t just apply to romantic love. It is for every aspect of the Christian life. The most quoted part begins, “Love is patient.”

Patience is certainly a virtue, but this passage isn’t just talking about being able to wait a long time or endure tough circumstances. Love is patient with people.

Love tolerates people, especially the difficult ones. If we love someone then when are slow to become angry when they are irritating, annoying, troublesome or foolish. Love is long-tempered with trying people.

Once on a railway train an elderly man accidentally broke a minor rule and was subjected to a long, loud tirade from a young train employee. Later a fellow passenger said to the old gentleman, “You should have given that guy a piece of your mind. I sure would have.” But the old man just smiled. “Oh,” he said, “if a man like that can stand himself for all of his life, I surely can stand him for five minutes.”

If you love someone, you’ll be patient with them. Think about it this way, if someone you love dearly is a little rude to you or bumps you, breaks something of yours or otherwise commits a wrong, we seldom take much notice. But if someone we don’t like does the exact same thing, we get angry. There’s a reason grandchildren can do no wrong! Because love covers a multitude of sins, even dirty footprints on the carpet!

So if the Bible tells us to love one another, and even to love our enemies, how should that affect how we treat everyone else? The Bible tells us that we are supposed to love others because God first loved us. Think about how patient God is with you and me. If God is that patient with us, how can we not show others the same kind of love when:

Our server gets our order wrong.
Someone calls us by the wrong name for the twentieth time.
Someone deliberately mistreats us or intentionally ignores us.
Someone tells that same old war story that we know by heart already.
Someone is slower than cold molasses at Christmas.
Someone does something foolish even though they should have known better.

I’m sure that you can come up with many more examples. God gives us opportunities to be patient with others every day. And sometimes you might be someone else’s opportunity to be patient!

“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged” (James 5:8-9).