True Love
It seems pretty simple. You meet someone and he clicks with you. He brings you flowers, writes you notes, puts you first, tells you that you're beautiful, makes sure you are taken care of and protected. You in turn show him he's amazing, tell him he can do anything, encourage him to try, and make his life richer (whether he knows it or not). Life grows to be better with each other than without. So you decide to keep each other around forever....
"Mawage is wot bwings us togever tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam.... And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva.... So tweasure your wuv."
Then real life hits and your characters are tested. The time when love came easily for you both has been overshadowed. This is when True Love shows itself... or doesn't.
What's True Love? Start with the Creator... God is Love. The living example of True Love. So if God is in you - the One you rely on in hard times, the Guide for your actions and soul - then True Love is in you, too. But like most things in life, you have to choose to make it the priority, to make Love your first reaction to every situation. God's there and wanting to be your First Responder but it takes practice and humility to call on Him first. It takes work to make Love the first thing you show when you're in the pressure cooker.
It's easy to react, it's easy to be angry (it even feels good sometimes!) but we all know where that gets us... nowhere pleasant. Training is required for a better kind of reaction. Just like a soldier trains for action, a child trains for a fire at school, a salesman trains for the word, "No." The reaction has to be the first thing you do without thinking. And that takes time.
How do you know True Love? You know when it's not, don't you. You can all think of times when love was not the reaction you got in a situation when you really needed it. You know that the fairytale love on the big screen is not it, either. So what is It?
Go back to the Creator of True Love. He has lived and still lives the perfect example of True Love and He offered up the definition numerous times in His word. It's important to have "faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13) A little earlier in that same chapter (vs. 4 & 5) are some of the characteristics of True Love, those things that should be practiced so that they can be the first reaction. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
Ouch. We can all name a few of those that consistently are and aren't our first reactions. Read them again but this time think about each one... one at a time so that the "I've heard this a million times" doesn't dull their gravity. They are just a few of the things you should see in one who Truly Loves you. If God is in your heart and in the others who love you, then your actions should show the Holy Spirit's characteristics, too. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Gal. 5:22-23)
Double Ouch. Do the "dullness exercise" from above if you read them super fast. Better yet, write out each one and define them. If you are Truly Loving someone then those things are what should show themselves first. Your first response to your sweetheart's stupidity should be gentleness. His first response to your anger should be patience and self-control. Your first resp..... you get the gist. If you Truly Love someone with God's Love then the patience, kindness, forgiveness, honor, etc. is what you should show them.
That's a BIG list. It's also a very POWERFUL one. Just one of these put to use consistently can change the reactions of both you Lovebirds. Pick one and try it! What's the best that could happen!?
True Love... it's not a fairytale... just some hard work. But if you Truly Love your sweetheart it can change everything.
"Mawage is wot bwings us togever tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam.... And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva.... So tweasure your wuv."
Then real life hits and your characters are tested. The time when love came easily for you both has been overshadowed. This is when True Love shows itself... or doesn't.
What's True Love? Start with the Creator... God is Love. The living example of True Love. So if God is in you - the One you rely on in hard times, the Guide for your actions and soul - then True Love is in you, too. But like most things in life, you have to choose to make it the priority, to make Love your first reaction to every situation. God's there and wanting to be your First Responder but it takes practice and humility to call on Him first. It takes work to make Love the first thing you show when you're in the pressure cooker.
It's easy to react, it's easy to be angry (it even feels good sometimes!) but we all know where that gets us... nowhere pleasant. Training is required for a better kind of reaction. Just like a soldier trains for action, a child trains for a fire at school, a salesman trains for the word, "No." The reaction has to be the first thing you do without thinking. And that takes time.
How do you know True Love? You know when it's not, don't you. You can all think of times when love was not the reaction you got in a situation when you really needed it. You know that the fairytale love on the big screen is not it, either. So what is It?
Go back to the Creator of True Love. He has lived and still lives the perfect example of True Love and He offered up the definition numerous times in His word. It's important to have "faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13) A little earlier in that same chapter (vs. 4 & 5) are some of the characteristics of True Love, those things that should be practiced so that they can be the first reaction. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
Ouch. We can all name a few of those that consistently are and aren't our first reactions. Read them again but this time think about each one... one at a time so that the "I've heard this a million times" doesn't dull their gravity. They are just a few of the things you should see in one who Truly Loves you. If God is in your heart and in the others who love you, then your actions should show the Holy Spirit's characteristics, too. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Gal. 5:22-23)
Double Ouch. Do the "dullness exercise" from above if you read them super fast. Better yet, write out each one and define them. If you are Truly Loving someone then those things are what should show themselves first. Your first response to your sweetheart's stupidity should be gentleness. His first response to your anger should be patience and self-control. Your first resp..... you get the gist. If you Truly Love someone with God's Love then the patience, kindness, forgiveness, honor, etc. is what you should show them.
That's a BIG list. It's also a very POWERFUL one. Just one of these put to use consistently can change the reactions of both you Lovebirds. Pick one and try it! What's the best that could happen!?
True Love... it's not a fairytale... just some hard work. But if you Truly Love your sweetheart it can change everything.
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