Is love even real? Can I really love someone? I think that in today’s world the word love is over-used and we don’t understand how powerful love really is. To say that you love someone means that you care about them no matter what, it means that you’ll choose to serve them no matter how you feel. It means putting someone else before yourself. By no means is this an easy task. In a world of confusion and chaos about love I think there is one place that gives us some clear examples at what love looks like and how we are supposed to love. Loving is hard but are you up for it?
It’s easy to think this, “Because I have been dating them for a year I love them.” Or “Because I have been on 10 dates I feel like I love them.” Or my favorite, “They said I love you to me and I thought I felt it so I said it back. Am I in love?” It’s tricky to know if you really are in love but I am here to tell you, that true love is both a feeling and a choice.
You are not always going to feel love for your significant other and you will not always have to choose to love your significant other. At times your heart will be melting because you will feel so in love and then at other times when your significant other does something crazy, you won’t feel your heart melting but you can make a choice to love no matter what.
My Love Story and How It Began
Seven months ago I met a very special girl named Allison. Allison and I met on a mission trip job in Pittsburgh, PA and believe me, I did not go into this job looking for a “lover” I simply wanted to go and do work for God. God had other plans, He introduced me to Allison and I prayed about her often over the summer and I began to understand that Allison could be the girl that I will marry. After the summer went on for a couple of months I began to grow a love for Allison. How did I know I loved her? I loved her when I felt it and I loved her even if I had to choose to feel it. Most importantly, I turned to where TRUTH rests and lives. Not the world who will tell you fake crazy metaphors and stories of love but God’s truth about love.
” 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. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Those verses above give the best definition of love that I ever read. Because love is serving, forgiving, not boasting or jealousy. Love prevails and love never fails. Once you can read those verses and think about your significant other being a part of those verses than that is when you are in love. Love doesn’t exist just because you went on a date or because you met one time and “sparks flew” like in the movies. Love is not what the world says it is, it is simply what God says it is.
There is a verse that I think applies and goes directly with 1 Corinthians 13 because it says how God will start something but will also bring it to completion. If God has told you that you will marry someone, stay hopeful because you will. God keeps his promises to us and he loves us. Philippians 1:6
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
If you are in a relationship and you have a pretty good indication that you love them, stick it out and do not give up. Giving up solves nothing and believe me, it is far worth sticking it out and persevering. Giving up is the easy choice, let God finish what he started because he is working in you and through you.
Go through the questions below with your significant other or by yourself and examine your relationship. If you can have solid biblical answers to these questions than I would stick with whoever it is you are with. But don’t lie to yourself and say it’s ok when it’s not. Be honest, evaluate your relationship and believe that the best is yet to come.
Reflection:
- Do I have a 1 Corinthians 13 relationship?
- How can I have a 1 Corinthians 13 relationship?
- Am I serving him/her?
- Do I care more about my interests or their interests?
- Do I keep track of all the times they were wrong or messed up?
- Do I always hope for the best in the relationship?
If you enjoyed this post, want prayer or just simply want to talk, I want to know. Email me or comment below and thank you for reading.
Bryant Westbrook 