And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8 KJV)

I was recently hurt. I am talking about a hurt so deep. It made me question my faith and who God was in my life. This hurt made me question was God for me. Did he really have my back. This hurt was caused by both my actions and the actions of those around me. I did things and said things that I am not proud of. Those things caused me to believe the lie that I had gone too far. For God to use to his glory. Things were done and said to me. Which caused me to believe in the lie. That God was not for me. Hurt is a painful thing. It can cause us to lash out. It can cause us to hold on to unforgiveness. I know. I am there. Especially when it comes from those we love. Speaking of love. The above verse tells us that charity ( which is love) covers the multitude of sins. This may sound easy enough. Until we are placed in being in a position of being hurt by those with whom we love the most. Being hurt, I believe. Is the leading cause of seeking revenge. However, love covers. Which in essence lets go of that need for vengeance. Love covering is not saying that the offense didn’t take place. It is not saying that the offense did not hurt. It says that I choose not to expose your faults. When something is covered. It means that it is sealed. It is protected. For me, God had to speak this scripture to my heart cause he had to show me that I was exposing and not covering and that I needed to stop and let it go. Being hurt never gave me the license to hurt others. He saw what was done and he is just in his justice. My job was never to expose it, but to cover it in love.

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. (Proverbs 10:12 KJV)

In my hurt and what was done. I wanted whoever would listen to know what was done. I was operating in hatred and didn’t know it. I reasoned within myself that I was justified. Truth is. I wasn’t. I was stirring up strife because I felt hatred over what was done. Not hatred towards the person(s) involved, but hatred in the actions of those involved. In fact. I had to delete my original post on this topic. Cause in it I was hypocritical cause I spoke on love covering but if I would have let you read the contents. No where was I covering the faults of others. The bible lets us know that hatred stirs but love covers. It is the complete opposite of one another. It also tells me that we have a choice. We can choose to let hatred fill our hearts, our minds and our actions. We can let it choose to cause more conflict in already painful circumstances. We can choose to drag someone’s name and reputation through the mud. Or we can choose to love and in that love is a covering. It keeps others from finding out said faults, said sins, said downfalls. Truth is that it is harder to let love cover. Than it is to let hatred stir. Simply cause we are flawed human beings. It takes a process and God dealing with the hurt in our own hearts. Before, it becomes easier to operate in the love covering aspect of it all. I know because I am just now learning this for myself.

In 1 Corinthians 13. What we like to call the love chapter. It is an example to us of what love truly is. The one that really gets me is found in verse 5 when it says and this is KJV doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. Ouch! This scripture for me points the finger at me because I sought my own well-being. Meaning you had to see it from my perspective, my hurt and my pain. If you didn’t than I was very easily provoked and I didn’t mind letting you know. Since I thought evil towards you. My actions were evil towards you. However, it also taught me something. It taught me that stirring up strife is not worth it. Cause not only does it hurts everyone involved. It makes it hard to face the ugly truth of who you are. The bible teaches that love covers not just for the person(s) whose sins we are covering, but also for ourselves. Cause it teaches us to let go. It teaches us to forgive. Not only forgiving others but ourselves as well. If you don’t believe that love covers. Then let me direct your attention to the cross over 2000 plus years ago. Our Saviour Jesus Christ loved us enough to be nailed to the cross. He loved us enough to be pierced. It was his blood that covered our sins. It was his love for us that kept him on the cross. So that your sins and my sins may not only be covered, but forgiven and done away with. He is the perfect example of love covering sins. I know that I can operate in that same love, because of what he did. I choose not be the same. I choose from this day forth not to let hatred stir but I choose rather. To let love cover. No matter the offense. Life is too short.

God’s blessings,

Aqua.