Love never loses faith (1 Cor 13:7). In relation to God, that means we take God at his word; in relation to man, it means we believe the best and discount the worst as long as it is really possible. Frank Crane said, “You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don’t trust enough.” The broader canon would remind us that this doesn’t prescribe gullibility. Indeed, we’re fools if we trust our work or fate to fools or sluggards. But among the loving, the trustworthy man will always find trust and the acceptance that it engenders. It’s just the way God is.

Love is always hopeful (1 Cor 13:7), never exhausts hope. Even when one’s worst suspicions have dismissed the possibility of trust, love will go on hoping for better. This is mother-love—better, it’s Father-love, the love of our heavenly Father. It’s the love of the prodigal son’s father, who maintained a watch on the road home to embrace the returning rebel. And by definition, hope is about what you cannot yet see (Rom 8:24–25). Job had it (Job 13:15), and so must we.