Love is Patient and Kind

I recently sat in a wedding service and mentally took note of the following two points:

First, "Love is patient", said the Minister to the married couple. God's patience has been continually shown to his people, as seen both in the Old and New Testament. This character of God ought to be that of the husband and wife. In a married life, there will be times where everything seems to work out well. Career is great, relationship is fantastic, etc. But the strength of a husband-wife relationship is tested not on those times. Rather it's during the times where the husband does something that falls out the expectation of the wife, and vice versa. Something hurtful, something stupid, something sinful. In those difficult times, would the husband and the wife be ready to show great patience, and forgive, understanding that God's patience is overflowing in their own life.

Second, "Love is kind". God has also been very generous. His generosity was greatly expressed throughout his dealing with the Israelites, and demonstrated in concrete in the death of his son, Jesus Christ. Saying "I do" in a marriage is a serious stuff. Because everything we have accomplished in our lives, our upbringings and training, our family values and patterns, everything that makes up who we are, including our material possessions, all of them are wrapped as one gift and we give it to our husband/wife. Each gives himself or herself to another. That...is a Christian marriage.