February 13, 2017.
Love is not a subject I really wanted to touch on yet, but I feel as though God has been impressing in my heart that whether I am personally ready to write about this or not, He can always use my willingness to get this done for Him. He knows how my readiness to be used by Him will glorify Him, and so we begin to write. My prayer for this blog post is that God be highly exalted from my joys and pain. How despite all the heartbreak I had to endure to find the love my heart prizes, I am still grateful because without it, I wouldn't be able to gain the wisdom I have now. Wisdom that I can only be able to share with you by God's grace and through His Spirit at work in me.
Besides, it will be Valentines day in just a few hours. So why not just give it a go?
Prelude
I had my fair shares of love in this lifetime. 23 years may not seem as much to most who are more advanced in age and experience but it was more than enough time to experience the kinds of love I would never wish on people.
And it was also about time that I found the love that surpassed all these other loves; a love made to last.
First love
Let me start this writing with the loves we start to know as we open our eyes into this world; this is our first love: Our parents.
The ones that hurt us the most are the ones we trust not to break our hearts; they are the ones closest to us.
In an early age we give our most sincerest love and trust to mom and dad. This love is so innocent; untainted. As children who follow by example, we look up to our parents and we want to grow to be like them someday. But imperfect as they are human, when they do or say things that hurt us or break our trust, we hold those emotions in our hearts and take it with us as we grow.
Yes, we still love our parents. But once the pain of unforgiveness takes root within us, it will grow into bitterness. May we not allow that to bear fruit in our lives.
Friendship
Ah friendship. Friendship is beautiful. I mean can you just imagine a world without friends?? I definitely can't. We were made for God-centered friendships. Yes, you heard me right. God-centered friendships.
God-centered friendships are built on a strong foundation that is made to last.
If you are reading this, I know that you have experienced your share of broken friendships as well. I won't lie, I have. It hurt me losing friends because they will always carry with them a part of me that only we share. And that goes the same for me as well.
But if those friendships don't make you grow anymore as an individual then why bother keeping them? The bible states this clearly:
"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" (1 Corinthians 15:33).
No matter how strong or firm you think you are, and how 'good' you think your character may be (depending how you view good as), don't think that you aren't compromising just by being around people who do not fear the Lord.
God knows that the greatest people that influence you are your friends.
So yes it may hurt, but choose to be strong, and choose to be separate from anyone who compromises your faith, no matter how much you love them. Feelings can only do so much for us, but God's Word and council never fails.
Instead, scripture teaches us how to choose our friends wisely:
"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2 NASB).
The price to pay in losing unhealthy friendships DOES NOT COMPARE to the joy that Godly friendships bring into your heart and life.
It is never easy to lose friends.
But we have a choice to walk according to God's will for our lives in uncompromising faith that He will provide people who will not only love us the way we deserve to be loved, but will also help us grow in our walk with Him.
Puppy Love
Then here comes the most awaited part of all: let's talk about boy-girl relationships. Or as I want to call it from experience,
puppy love.
If I would just cut to the chase this love is the love you think you want but you don't need at all. It starts with a 'crush', but ends in complete disaster. Let me explain.
In this 'love', a boy and a girl is attracted to each other. Seemingly, to the world, attraction is enough to start a relationship. But I hate to burst your bubble: It isn't.
Looks can't keep a relationship the same way as simply being attractive can.
As the famous passage in proverbs 31:30 goes,
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
Same goes for men of course.
You can work out all you want for those impressive muscles, v-cut abs, and getting your whole body fit and ripped at the gym, but depending on who you do this for or to what reason you invest your time, energy and finances on, will also determine as to the
where this will all amount to in eternity.
So before you go into a relationship just for the sake of it, ask yourself first: Is it worth my time and heartbreak? And will this bring me closer to Jesus or farther away from Him?
Let Jesus always be the strong foundation in a relationship.
Tainted Love
I think that the worst part of falling in love with the 'wrong person', is falling in love with the wrong perspective of love. The pain that this "love" inflicts is so devastating that it makes you question if this is how love is supposed to feel. If this is all there is to it.
Yes pain is inevitable in all kinds of relationships. If we attempt to love, we should get ready to get our hearts broken. Otherwise if you keep your heart locked up, that wouldn't be living at all.
But it's sad to think how people can just settle for the love they think they deserve,
when there's a love out there made to last.
A Love Made To Last
So let me pull out this question once more: Despite all the pain and heartbreak, is love worth it?
Yes.
THIS love is worth it.
But it's worth comes not from
the word itself or how we feel about it, or even our perspective towards it, but
it roots farther more to the One who made it. God is the author and perfecter
of love.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 KJV).
He sent His only Son to die on that cross for you and me. His Son paid for our sins, our shame, our iniquity.
Every time I fall short, my failures are nailed on that cross. Jesus died for me.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV).
And because He willingly did this for a dirty sinner like me (He who was pure and sinless tainted Himself saving me),
I am able to come to the Father AS. I. AM.
What love is greater than this love?
It's so selfless. So kind. So compassionate.
So forgiving.
For a person so worthy. So perfect. So pure.
So deserving.
To die on that cross for me?
This is love.
And once I found this, I saw how perfect love existed.
And because of this, I know my worth.
I know who I am.
I am a child of God.
Precious. Undeserving. Yet precious in His sight.
This love picked me up from where I was, and brought light into my life.
This is how real love is supposed to feel like.
My prayer to close is that you will also know that this love is open to you.
I pray that you will not settle for the love this world tells you about.
But you will seek for the love that is made available to you in Christ Jesus.
My prayer is that as you seek God, you will not only find more of Him, but in finding Him,
you will find who you were created to be.
My prayer is that you will find your contentment in Him,
that you won't have to keep running after someone that does not deserve you.
But from finding satisfaction in Him,
He will be the one to connect you with the right man/woman He has already chosen for you.
May the Holy Spirit fill you with a deeper understanding of God's eternal love.
Because this love will never fail you.
It will stir up your soul, and bring fire to your very existence.
It is a love made to last.
