Tough love isn’t just about discipline, it’s about the tough love we get from the people who strengthen us, prop us up, and carry us when we are about to fall.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)
What’s that saying? “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” For a long time, I thought this was irony – as in hard times come and the “tough” run away. I think I might have seen that in Looney Tunes as a child and it stuck with me…
But at some point, I realized that this saying was not ironic, but rather motivational. The tough don’t run, they try harder. They push on.
But it’s not about muscles or even grit and determination. It’s about love. You can say it’s the love of the game or love of country, depending on who you’re talking about.
I think it’s love for each other. Tough love isn’t about discipline, it’s about strengthening those around us that need it most – because one day, we are going to need that tough love propping us up, too.
Tough Love – Our Backbone of Friends and Family
Love was always part of the plan. From the beginning, God loved the world he created and the man he made in His image. But it didn’t stop there. He gave Adam Eve. A helpmate and companion. A friend and wife.
We were never supposed to go it alone because we were built to live together, to love one another. And so God has given us the love we need for good times and tough times.
Friends will always love us – even when things are at their worst, or we are. A brother is there specifically to weather hard times with us. And a brother isn’t just the one born into our families, it’s our entire families.
We have a backbone that will help us, support us, and love us through the worst of times. Their tough love is about strengthening in love and being tough for love.
Love comes in many forms, but it is all around us. Some days it’s a warm blanket we wrap around ourselves. And other days, it’s the armor we use to protect ourselves. Or it’s the wall that stands behind us, propping us up when we feel like falling to our knees.
Tough love is God’s love, channeled through family and friends, to carry us through.
Have a blessed Monday!
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