Throwing Out Score Cards

'Love...keeps no record of wrongs.' I read that this morning, along with the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, over hash browns and fried eggs with my boys. It caught me off guard, though. It keeps no record of wrongs. Really, not a single record? And all these pieces came clashing together as I finally found words for these unclassified emotions I've been battling.

See, I do keep record. It is, for the most part, unintentional; a simple tallying throughout my days. I believe it's human nature. We feel that we are entitled to certain 'rights' and when those happen to be forgotten, violated or taken for granted, we take offence; filing away that discrepancy for future reference. For us parents it can be as simple as the number of times we got up with the baby during the night. Obviously, it was more than our significant other, which should guarantee our receiving that last cup of coffee. Or maybe it's the number of 'blow outs' changed on our watch.. I always win that round.
But Paul says that love keeps no record. Not a single tally mark?
What about the amount of time spent on various interests, passions and hobbies? I know how often my husband goes surfing when the swell is up and I know exactly how many times I've been able to go snorkelling in the past YEAR. The numbers do not add up. This could swing the other way, however. There is definitely one person in this family that works day in and day out to bring home the bacon while another member spends the majority of her days playing with finger paint, singing silly songs and 'hunting' for chickens with the mini-man. That certainly doesn't add up, but my husband doesn't complain and I am humbled at this realization. Love is never fair.
That is the beauty of relationship and marriage, of nitty-gritty love. It's not fair and the numbers are off and we're all undeserving in countless areas but somehow love can override all of that. There can not be a score card for love. True Love laid down His life for us when we were at our worst. That's what is so breath taking about it all! 'But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Romans 5:8 There is nothing 50/50 about the grace that is freely offered or the sacrifice that was made in our place. That is love. That is freedom.
And to a back-slidden, rebellious people that have forgotten the One True God, a prophet gives THIS Valentine... 'Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.' Micah 7:18-19
If anyone has the right to keep record of wrongs, it's God. Yet He is the one hurling our mistakes into the depths of the sea. What a love. He has no score card. Jesus keeps no record of wrongs. And that makes me want to shout from the roof tops, THANK YOU JESUS!! 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.' John 3:16-17
And to the amazing husband who loves me even when I'm unlovable, Happy Valentine's Day! I don't deserve you, but I guess that's the whole point! We are called to imitate True Love and give without expecting anything in return; I see you live this out on a daily basis and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am officially crumpling up these mental score cards and tally sheets and I pray that you readers will, too! May we commit to living life with deliberate, selfless love, regardless of who's 'turn' it is or whether we've had a single moment of free time today. This is the way of love, this is how we are called to live and this is the way that Love will set us free.