Love Is Not Irritable

By: Jenifer Metzger

Would your husband or children describe you as irritable? Would they say that you have a short fuse? Do they have to walk around on egg shells just to keep you from exploding?

We have all probably been described like this at one point. When we are tired, we are irritable. When we are hungry, we are irritable. When we are overworked, we are irritable. When we are stressed, we are irritable. Sometimes we are irritable for no good reason at all.

...It {love} is not irritable...

1 Corinthians 13:5

The Bible tells us that love is not irritable. Before that, it says that love is patient and kind.

Follow me here. The Bible tells us in 1 John that God is love. We know through the trinity that God and Jesus are the same. We know that as Christians, we are to be like Jesus. We know that love is not irritable. So...if Jesus is love, if Love is not irritable, if we are to be like Jesus, we should not be irritable. Seems simple right? Yet, it's not. Something happens and those irritable feelings rise to the surface quicker than we can bat an eye.

When under pressure, love doesn't turn sour. Minor problems don't yield major reactions. The truth is, love does not get angry or hurt unless there is a legitimate and just reason in the sight of God. A loving husband will remain calm and patient, showing mercy and restraining his temper. Rage and violence are out of the question. A loving wife is not overly sensitive or cranky but exercises emotional self-control. She chooses to be a flower among thorns and respond pleasantly during prickly situations. ~The Love Dare

If we are striving to be like Jesus, if we are striving to love like Him, when the pressure is on, when irritating things happen, we need to practice self-control and remain calm. Sometimes things need to be worked out or talked out and that is okay. But if we are working to be like Jesus, we should do so in a calm way. We should choose to be a flower among thorns, even in prickly situations.

This week, I want to challenge you to practice self-control and remain calm during those seemingly irritable times. Remind yourself as often as need, that love is not irritable.