We know about tough love.
We pull the rug out from underneath someone we care about so that they can own up to their behavior. We’re forcing them to take responsibility for their self-destructive lifestyle.
Tough love isn’t easy, although there are times we have no other choice. Yet, once it’s done, and the lessons are learned, we can exhibit the soft side of love.
Ephesians 4:2 says we can speak in quiet voices and put up with each other’s failings:
“[Show] all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
1 Peter 4:8 tells us that even when others let us down, we continue to show them love:
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
John 15:12 sets up Christ as our primary example. He gave his life, and he never lashed out at his accusers:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 encourages us to have faith and hope, but without love, we’ve lost out on the best of the three:
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Solomon 4:9 reveals the depth of God’s love for us. We’re not simply one among billions. We’re the apple of his eye:
“You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.”
Sometimes God must get tough with us, and it doesn’t feel good. When we return unto him, however, he can show his soft side, the one that bears with us, expresses continual compassion, is our example, and reveals adoration beyond all manner of creation.
God is truly our eternal champion, and his love for us eclipses all else.
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