"Love Endures All Things, Because?"

Do you want to know how long I was gone (as if you cared)? I think it was about an hour, but not much more than that; because I could not stand being away from my wife for another minute. Oh, I would be away from her all the time to work, golf, Men's Retreats, etc; but not like this, not like I left her at home in anger. Maybe you don't understand what I am saying, partly because you might not have ever left someone you love in anger; or maybe because you have done it so often, that it really does not count any more? I never left before because we were fighting; in fact, I would make a point of not leaving, even if I had to leave, until our dispute was settled, or at least to a point where we were not angry any more. Even if I went outside just to cool off, I would always try to keep a close eye on my wife, knowing that her heart was in pain. This is what brought me back so soon when I left, that desire to protect her heart; even though we were fighting, I still knew that I needed to protect her heart. Do you see yet what leaving means? Leaving says, I don't care about you anymore. Jesus said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you"; why would He say that, or even need to say it? Because He Loves us!!! Because we are His Body!!! Do you see the point that Paul was trying to make in chapters 12 & 13? We can not, without some very severe damage to ourselves and others, just discard a member of our Body; just like I could not leave my wife unprotected, because I loved her so much and knew that her pain, was, is, and would be my pain: Why? Because we are One!!! Okay, maybe you don't understand the One thing very well? Do you need some help? Here is something which might help (or not): Say that you are trying to be a professional athlete, and that in the process of setting out to accomplish this goal, you will have various factors of opposition. You will have those in the your life (the world or outside the body), you will have your mind (will to do), and you will have your body (members); all of which will at one point or another be a deterrent to your goal. As a training athlete, the will to do something is pretty much the same as love; it is what drives your ambition, and keeps you working through all the pain, as well as ignoring those that say you can't do it. So, as you are training, you will notice that your arms are a little weak; so what do you do? You cut them off??? No, you work on making them strong enough to compete! Now, let's look at you; because this body of One has you also as a member, and sometimes you need a little work also. The one thing that was the hardest thing to fix in that fight with my wife, was the fact that I left. I prayed that she would not see it the same way that I did, and that she did not count it against the promise that I made when we were married. If as an athlete, your arms are vitally important to your game, then you are not only going to make them strong, but you will also keep them safe, or free from harm; which means that you will make adjustments to the way you live, or chances you take that might bring harm to your arms. This is my role as a husband; to not only strengthen and protect my wife, but to also make adjustments within myself which ensure that I especially, do not become the cause of any harm to her. Anyway, I hope that helped a little? "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular." (1 Corinthians 12:26 & 27)