June 1

Love Covers

"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs."Proverbs 10:12

Hatred loves a conflict; it delights in a brawl and provokes its enemy. On the other side of the coin, there is love: love which soothes another's hurt, removes the aggravation, gives the benefit of the doubt, and pours cold water on the flames, instead of oil. Love would rather cover another's fault than to expose it to the world to see. This is the kind of love that has been shown to us. After all, Christ died for us and then threw His robe of righteousness over our sins that we might be whiter than snow! We have been recipients of his forgiveness and forbearance; we, in turn, must pass on this love to others. Let us show forth patience, long-suffering and forgiveness to those who hurt us. We need to cover their wrongs with the Love of Christ, which hopefully has become an integral part of who we are as Christians. The world sees far too much hatred and dissension; let us show forth the difference between hatred and love.

Father, it is too easy to fan the flames of anger and conflict when we are hurt by others. Help us to allow Christ to shine through and cover their wrongdoings with Love. May we never lose sight of the grace that you have bestowed upon us so freely. Thank you for covering our sins with your love. Thank you for making us pure and clean and freeing us from sin. Help us to give grace to all around us. Let Christ in us cover others' sins. Help us to live lives that emulate Christ's love. Amen