1 Corinthians 13:5 Good News Translation
5 love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not
keep a record of wrongs;
I once had a colleague who expressed deep concern for my wellbeing—and
for many of our other colleagues. He would often come into my office and sit
down and tell me of his frustrations with a colleague. He enumerated a long
list of the perceived shortcomings of this or that particular person.
Mom used to warn me about this type of person, “If he comes
in and gossips about a particular person to you, you know what he is saying
about you to everyone else.” This particular “accuser of our brethren”[2]
left no doubt as to what he was saying about me. As often as not he would start
listing all the mistakes I had made. If he ran short of them, he would make
some up as he went along. This condemnation could go on for an hour. Eventually
he would leave, usually only after he had gotten me furious at his accusations
and his thoroughly impugning my motives for doing right. He had a vast,
indelible memory of everyone’s faults.
After such incidents, I walked the half-hour home with my
heart racing, fearing I might suffer a heart attack. Initially, I planned
revenge—but vengeance is not in my nature. Finally, I started praying for him.
I prayed for a number of years before I noticed a difference. Gradually these accusatory
episodes became shorter, and he began to express genuine concern for my wellbeing
and that of others.
Praise to You, Oh Lord,
for Your ability to change people‘s attitudes and actions—including mine.
Will, it seems that your prayers for him and those of others helped to finally start a change in him. I am sad that you had to endure these assaults from him.
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