"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (I Peter 4:8)
I like the fact that it was Peter who penned those words. Of all the disciples, I believe he knew best what it meant to be loved much because he had been forgiven much. And at the end of the day, he knew it was true: love covers sin. And the reality of that kind of love caused him to be set free from his sin so that he could truly "go and sin no more."
I wonder how many marriages would find healing if husbands and wives took these words and applied them to their marriage relationships. What would it do for people not to have their sins, past and present, bullet pointed, shouted from the rooftops, and chronicled for daily remembrance? How many people would be set free from guilt and shame simply by their spouse choosing to "cover" them by forgiving quickly and refusing to play the constant blame game?
Yes, of course there is a time and place for correction. For the pointing out of blind spots. For iron sharpening iron. (Proverbs 17:27)
But, if that kind of correction doesn't stem from an attitude of honor and humility, it is not a covering love. If it does not speak with tenderness or consideration of the hidden places of the other person, it is not a covering love. And if it does not care to be gentle with genuine weakness or concern itself with prayer for restoration, it is not covering love.
There are many voices that condemn your spouse for their sin and even for their woundedness, with the loudest voice being their own. Don't let your voice join the chorus. Sing a different song, one of covering love.
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