Love That Stays

Proverbs 17:17 (CEB)Friends love all the time, and kinsfolk are born for times of trouble.

Friendship is an easy word to use when life is calm. It becomes harder to define when circumstances change, and the structures that once held relationships in place fall away.

Over more than twenty years of caring for our disabled daughter, I’ve learned that some relationships fade not because people are unkind, but because endurance asks more than sympathy. When a situation becomes long-term instead of temporary, love is tested quietly.

When Hannah moved into a nursing home last August, many relationships naturally shifted. Nurses who had cared for her in our home for years were no longer part of our daily lives. That was expected. Roles had changed.

But one nurse continued to come to Hannah’s room even after she had no professional obligation to do so. She washed Hannah’s hair, brushed it slowly, sat with her, and talked with her. She wasn’t doing that for us. She was doing it for Hannah.

Hannah could not communicate in typical ways, but she was clear about how she felt around the people who cared for her. On those days, she was visibly calmer and at ease. Her body told the story her words could not. She knew she was being loved.

That care was not transactional. Hannah could not repay it. And yet the relationship was real and mutual. The nurse knew the difference her presence made. Hannah knew she was safe. Something meaningful moved in both directions, even though it looked different on each side.

Proverbs says that a friend loves at all times, and that a brother is born for adversity. It’s not drawing lines between friendship and family. It’s reminding us that love proves itself by staying.

Sometimes, family is defined by genetics. Sometimes it is discovered through faithfulness. Often, it is recognized only when obligation has ended, but love has not.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for love that shows up quietly and keeps showing up. Help us notice the gifts of presence we’ve been given, and shape us into people who offer the same to others. May our love reflect yours. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

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