Love Is...

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 " 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.  Love never fails..."

 

Today is my 3-year anniversary so I can't help but to think of LOVE.

 

My story is a little different than what you may expect.  When I met my husband, David, I was recently divorced.  I had a 2-year old little boy, Emmanuel, at the time and I felt overwhelmed with bitterness, anger, sadness, and despair.  Not only at my circumstances but also with God.  "How could HE do this to me?" I asked myself over and over again.  "He" being my Heavenly Father.  I thought I had lived my life the "right way".  I wasn't supposed to get divorced.  I wasn't supposed to be a single mother.  That wasn't the life I had planned for myself.  Little did I know that God was taking my brokenness and had an awesome love story in store for me.

 

God placed David in my life in my darkest hour. 

 

David is a beacon of light to the world.  He constantly has a smile on his face and he has an infectious positive personality.  When you see him, you just want to smile. He loves people.  He loves God.  He is a generous man, a strong leader, and a compassionate person. 

 

I was so angry at the time that I met David that even his smile would annoy me.  "Why is he so happy?" I would ask myself.  I didn't understand how this man could see the goodness of God in a desperate world.  But God was going to take that gift and allow David to see the goodness in me in my desperate world.

 

Over a period of 2 years of an off-again/on-again relationship with David and some heavy counseling, I finally felt like I was ready to love again and receive love.  I had to understand that love wasn't based off some emotional, romantic-comedy movie but that love was an action.  Love meant that I had to give.  Love meant that I was patient and kind even when it was really hard.  I had to come to understand that love doesn't hold grudges.  Love meant that I wasn't rude. I had to be able to trust, to hope, to persevere again.

 

Miraculously, David never gave up on me.  He always believed in me and in us.  So when he asked me to marry him, I thought about what love was and I was confident that I was ready to truly love him.  When we married, we said our vows and I secretly made a vow to him in my heart.  It was this:  Since he loved me through my darkest hour, he would now get to love me through my best days.  And every day, with the help and favor of God, we get to see our best days. 

 

Not that we don't have disagreements or just outright ugly arguments but we love one another through those times.  And loving each other the way that God instructs makes all the difference in our marriage. 

 

As you say those beautiful three words to your loved ones today, "I love you," really consider what you're saying.  Resolve in your heart and mind that you will love the way that God instructs us to.  It can change our relationships and ultimately the world.

 

Happy Anniversary, David. I love you.