It seems of late that I am batting 1000 when it comes to the "love" department...NOT! As I read the verse above, my eyes are more drawn to what prefaces it. "When we practice real love." An interesting statement; and frankly, I've never seen anything like that preface a Scripture on that or any other Biblical website. A coincidence? I think not...and so, another topic is born.
How do we practice love? According to www.dictionary.com, practice can mean a habit or custom. Hmmm, interesting. Easy for many -- hard for those of us who really don't understand what it means to be in a relationship. My baseball analogy -- yes, it's World Series time and so, I want to run with it. In baseball, players train before the season begins. Do we need to train for love? After all, it speaks of practice. I'm going to substitute practice with the definition I found in the verse. Now, let's read it.
"My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice (get in the habit of) real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
Great! We need to be in the habit of real love. But what's love? Those of us who have been in relationships lacking love, really don't have a concept of what love is. I am heading back to www.dictionary.com Oh, boy -- as I suspected. There are many "laymen" definitions for love out there. It can be defined as anything from a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person to a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend or even sexual intercourse. Wow! I didn't see that coming! Different kinds of love? Yes, you are never "in love" with a parent, child or friend but when you are in a relationship, doesn't the love and passion you start with eventually become that sort of love? I mean, how can the love you feel in the beginning of a relationship sustain itself? I believe I have now officially hit a foul ball. I'll tell you what. I'm going to the Bible for this one. God has a definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Let's have a look at the verses I'm referring to; most of you are familiar with them.
Ah yes -- that is the one I'm looking for. That is an incredible definition of love. Now, I want to ask you -- how many of you are treating your significant other in this way? Are you patient and kind? Are you humble enough to bow before God? Because if you aren't, how can you expect your significant other to allow you to the be the spiritual leader? Are you rude to your spouse? Less than generous? Angry? Bring up past mistakes? Are truthful? Do you protect the one you love? Do you trust them? Do you believe in them? Do you remain steadfast even when times are tough?
I don't see anything about sex in there, which makes me wonder -- can sex be defined as love? The layman's definition says it is but is it really? Ump is calling for the ref. What's the word? It seems to me, that is up to the people in the relationship. However, real love cannot have less than these parameters in order to have the foundational love that God wants all of us in a relationship to have.
I bring all this up for a reason; that is, the other night I found myself praying to God. I asked God to remove me from a relationship that I knew was not rooted in love nor could I see it going in that direction. The person I was with was spiritual but seemed to be pulling me further away from God instead of closer. The Holy Spirit was telling me to leave. I had tried to break it off twice but wasn't strong enough to say, "go away" when he called; he knew it and I knew it. Loneliness or even fear of loneliness, can keep you in a place where you don't want to be; I know because I was there a little over a year ago. And so, interestingly enough, when I was meeting this man to watch the World Series, I found myself wanting to turn the car around at least three or four times. I had a talk with God along the way to where we were meeting. And I prayed for God to give me the strength to walk away. Well, that night, I was not with him five minutes when I was so disrespected by him that I just said, "Goodbye" and left. As I was getting my purse he said, "If you leave, don't come back!" to which I responded, "Fine." I was mad but in complete control. I just want to say, that was the single most empowering and pivotal moment of my life. Why? Because I found the strength to walk away. To know that I was better than putting up with abuse. To know that I am worth being loved and respected by a man. I found the inner strength that night to say, "Enough!" That was my very own "home run!" I scored and I scored big! I felt like a winner that night, even though the circumstances were not the best. "And the crowd goes WILD!"
And so, I know that I am healing. God can heal someone that was even as broken as I was a little over a year ago. We need to trust Him. We also need to listen to the Holy Spirit; when we hear that voice, LISTEN! I was lucky -- I was only verbally lambasted but I could just as easily have been abused in another way. Only God knows what our future holds. He loves us so much more than any mere mortal and He proves it because He sent His Son to die for us.
We can doubt another person's love for us but we can never doubt God's love for us. He has our best interests at heart. And so, as I continue on my faith journey, I await the one that God has for me -- if He has someone for me. I hope He does. I want to know that wonderful love that I see in couples' eyes when they look at one another with complete adoration; I'm talking the couples that have been married fifty or sixty years. The ones who have made it through the rough patches and all that life has thrown their way. Call me an optimist but I know it exists and I believe that one day, God will bless me with such a love. In the meantime, I have not "a man" in my life but "the Man" in my life. Jesus. He is my Hope and my Redeemer. May you feel His love today and everyday. It's real and it's powerful.This is a favorite song of mine. May it bless you.
"Hope in Front of Me" by Danny Gokey
http://youtu.be/9KIhYZQ_ovw
No comments:
Post a Comment