I Corinthians 13 – Love Is Not Rude
Ron continues his love series from I Corinthians 13 with a post entitled, “Love Is Not Rude.” Jennifer Milford points out to Scott, her husband, that if he truly love her, he would not be so rude. In the series, Ron breaks down I Corinthians 13:4-7 into easily understood segments by using a selection of “love” themed short stories.
An Alexander McQueen
Scott Milford smiled broadly as his guests took their places. His wife, Jennifer, glowed at the other end of the table. The three couples sat down together to enjoy both a hearty meal and their own good company.
Light conversation and happy laughter continued as Jennifer cleared away the soup bowls and began bringing the main course to the table.
As she set down the last two plates, Lucy commented on Jennifer’s attractive dress. Jennifer smiled demurely and said, “Yes, I like it a lot. It’s actually an Alexander McQueen…”
Without missing a beat, Scott interrupted adding to the sentence, “…which she picked up at some ‘Wear It Again, Sam’ boutique.”
He laughed at his witticism and an awkward glance passed between the women.
Bones In The Fish
Gradually, they resumed talking over their interests: jobs, hobbies, sports, politics. They chatted while they enjoyed the grilled trout on a rice pilaf with a mixed vegetable side dish.
Suddenly, Scott grabbed everyone’s attention. “Watch out, everybody. I don’t think Jennifer checked this fish for bones. I have one in my portion. We don’t want anybody choking on a fishbone.”
Jonathan spoke up. “It’s pretty well impossible to absolutely ensure there are no bones in a piece of trout. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were eating at that fancy new restaurant near the festival theatre and I had two bones in my portion.”
The diners had scarcely returned their attention to their plates when Scott turned his attention to his right.“ Cassandra, you’re looking particularly lovely tonight. Have you lost some weight?
Ted, Cassandra’s husband, spoke up, “Cassandra has been particularly disciplined lately in regard to her health.”
“Yes, but I was wondering if she actually lost some weight,” said Scott. “She looks a little lighter around the jowls.”
Cassandra spoke softly. “Yes, Scott, I’ve lost about twelve pounds, but I doubt that anyone really cares about such things.”
Playing Games
Murmured agreement went around the table. It seemed no one wanted to pick up on that subject. Eventually, talk turned to games they enjoyed playing. “Perhaps,” said Ted, “We could play a table game after dinner.”
Everyone agreed that this would be a fine idea.
As Scott chimed in, he said, “It’s a good thing six people can’t play Scrabble. Nobody wants to play Scrabble with Jennifer. She always tries to get a triple word score in every game. She thinks she’s smart, but I think she wins more by lucky breaks than anything else.”
Some discussion followed and in the end they opted to play a variation of a trivia game. This put everyone on a level playing field, since they were all from the same generation and had similar interests.
At 10:30 the guests left. Lucy and Cassandra offered to help clear up, but Scott said, “No, no, just leave it for Jennifer. She’s enjoying being in the ranks of the unemployed these days. You girls go on home and get a good night’s sleep.”
Love Is Not Rude
Scott’s face beamed with pleasure as the door closed leaving him alone with Jennifer. “Well, Jenn, that was a triumph. Great food. Good friends. Fun game. I really enjoyed myself. I love that you can pull off an evening like this.”
Jennifer’s face coloured as she responded. “It’s interesting that you said you ‘loved the fact that I could pull off an evening like this.’ It’s nice to know that you can love what I can do, even if you can’t love me.”
Scott face showed surprise. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I do love what you can do but, of course, I love you.”
“It doesn’t show,” said Jennifer, “particularly when we have friends around. You are always so rude. You’re rude to me and rude to our friends. You make everyone uncomfortable. I don’t see how you can say that you love me, or anyone else.”
“Oh, come on, Jenn, you’re too sensitive. We were just having some lighthearted fun. Don’t be so uptight.”
“I am not being uptight, Scott. You have been exceptionally rude this evening. At some point, you’ll have to realize that love does not treat others the way you treated me and our friends tonight.
Love is not rude.” She paused, then turned. “I’ll go to bed now. I can always clean up in the morning, since I have nothing to do.
What have you learned from this story? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Read Part 1 here.
Ron Hughes
Ron Hughes is the former President of FBH International He developed his interest in technology and mass communications during his highschool years in Peterborough, Ontario.
He received a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University where he graduated as the program’s “outstanding graduate.” He gained experience working in both commercial and cultural radio stations in Southern Ontario as well as engaging in freelance production.
In 1983, he and his wife, Debbie, moved to Ecuador where they served as missionaries for 10 years. There, Ron produced radio specials and numerous music albums as well as several videos. Some of these videos were the first ever produced in Ecuador’s major indigenous languages. In 1993, the Hughes family returned to Canada at the invitation of FBH International (then Family Bible Hour) and oversaw the ministry for many years.
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Images courtesy of:
Trout Meal Ingredients – Roger Kirby
Soup – Fa Snail
Scrabble – Jennifer Marr
Love Is Not Rude – Keramark Solutions
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