“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭8,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

When I came across this verse today, I decided it was impossible. Ridiculous even. How could I be expected to maintain constant love for anyone? I can’t even maintain constant love for myself, and I allow myself a lot of excuses and rationalizations. I can’t maintain constant anything, really. Every day is different with vastly fluctuating levels of energy, interest, and ability to care.

So what am I supposed to do with this verse?

Two things come to mind. One is that God is the only real source of love. The second lies in the part of the verse that says “love covers a multitude of sins.”

God doesn’t expect me to love anyone out of my own measly resources. He knows my heart and how hard and selfish it is when left to its own desires. But when I stay in constant contact with Him, I have access to His bottomless reservoir of love. He does expect me to spread that around generously. The only thing I have to keep constant is my nearness to Him. Like a hose connected to a spigot. The hose is useless and empty without that constant connection.

And as for the second part, God doesn’t expect me to be perfect, nor should I expect other people to be perfect. That’s the beauty of love. It includes forgiveness and infinite do-overs. To maintain constant love, I just have to maintain constant opportunities to do better next time. God does it for me, and if we do that for each other, love abides, constantly.

Dear God, I’m sorry that I’m so terrible at maintaining constant love. Thank you for your forgiveness and for giving me infinite opportunities to do better. Thank you also for giving me access to your bottomless reservoir of love. Teach me to share it generously with everyone I encounter today, by staying connected solidly to you.