If Part 1 showed us love as a way of being, Part 2 brings us into the workshop where that life is formed. Love is not sustained by intention alone. It is shaped through practice.
In First Epistle to the Corinthians 13:4–7, Paul moves from identity to behavior:
“Love is patient and kind… not arrogant or rude… not irritable or resentful…”
This is not sentimental poetry. It is a training manual for relationships. Pastorally, Paul is describing spiritual formation. Therapeutically, he is describing emotional maturity — and the two are inseparable.
Patience is not silent endurance; it is the ability to stay emotionally present without becoming reactive. Kindness is not politeness; it is choosing another person’s good in small, repeatable ways. These practices require inner stability. We cannot consistently offer love externally if we are chaotic internally.
Paul also names the habits that erode love: envy, pride, irritability, resentment. These are often symptoms of insecurity and unhealed pain. His phrase “love keeps no record of wrongs” points to forgiveness as release. Healthy love remembers wounds in order to heal them, not to weaponize them.
This is why love is a discipline. It grows through micro-practices repeated daily:
- pausing before reacting
- repairing quickly after conflict
- choosing curiosity over accusation
- extending mercy when it feels undeserved
Love is rarely proven in dramatic gestures. It is revealed in ordinary moments when we are stressed, disappointed, or misunderstood. Over time, practice becomes character — and character becomes the kind of love that feels safe to live inside.
Be blessed! Be a blessing!!
Jimbo's Jots 
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