October 21 | Mature Love

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
(1 Corinthians 13:11)

We seem to forget that today’s verse is found in the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. There are two kinds of love, childish love and mature love. Which one is yours? A child demands his own way; he has to be the center of attention; he needs continuous excitement; he throws a tantrum when things don’t go his way!

Now listen, “But when I became a man I put away childish things.” That’s mature love! Paul says, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). It’s one thing to fall in love, it is entirely another to grow in it. Mature love doesn’t demand things—it earns them, and then they mean something. Mature love accepts responsibility and refuses to live like a victim. Until you stop fixing the blame, you can’t even start fixing the problem. Benjamin Franklin said, “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterwards.” That’s mature love! Marnie Crowel says, “To keep a fire burning brightly there’s one rule: Keep the logs together—near enough to keep them warm, and far enough apart for breathing room. Good fire! Good marriage! Same rule!”

Today you will have a chance to practice mature love. Ask God to help you do it!¹

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¹  Gass, B. (1998). A Fresh Word For Today : 365 Insights For Daily Living (p. 294). Bridge-Logos Publishers.