love is….

If you’re in a Christian community you find yourself inevitably dialoging about relationships, love, and marriage. You’ve asked everyone about his or her perspectives on love. You’ve googled the definition and differences between courtship and dating. You’ve accumulated a good-sized library of Christian dating books (don’t be ashamed if one of those includes Joshua Harris’ “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”). Yet through all the conversations on this stimulating topic over the years, God Himself is defining love for me.

I realized I’ve always approached the Lord with a notebook and pen in hand, ready to write down the “ten commandments” of love. But, my Father in Heaven does not want me to hand this decision to Him to decide all on His own, He wants my involvement. He wants to awaken me to who I am and help me be honest with Him concerning what I want. Oftentimes, I just want God to tell me either the guy is the one or not. Previously, God would reveal it to me very quickly, but lately He’s been inviting me into being open with Him. I find the Lord holding me close to His heart, letting me discover His desires along with my own, awakening my heart that I’ve quieted for too long.

I also realized how in the past I’ve fallen in love with the idea of love, defined by movies and secular love songs rather than God. God is love! He is the definition of love. Him creating the world from nothing, His passionate devotion to Israel, the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross for humanity, that is love. There are plenty of moments filled with romance and roses, yet I must not forget the moments of blood, sweat and tears that color His definition of the word.

The most important thing the Lord has taught me concerning love is the importance of talking to Him and the truth that He is more protective of my heart than me. He will take care of me. These simple yet profound truths quiet my fears and give me increasing confidence in who my God is. He is so good to me.