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SymphonyWeddings.com
Return to Marriage Page ...So Love Is Unfortunately, our culture has ingrained in us the idea that love is a fickle emotion which we have little control over. We fall in and out of love like the ebb and flow of an ocean tide. But by relegating love to a mere feeling we are giving up one of the most precious gifts God has given us. It's important to understand that God is love; not a feeling, but a substance. He is the essence of love. Therefore, if you do not truly know God you will never understand the depth of what it is to be loved or have the capacity to love with the richness God has designed. As God is. . .so love is! This is a point worth stressing because God's love remains unaffected by emotional mood swings. Love is a choice. Part of a resolution to follow after and to be more like God. Love is a decision of our heart that is accompanied by deliberate actions. When our feelings fail, God in His mercy, has given us a clear guide in 1 Corinthians 13 to measure our love by: Love is patient–understanding of and forgiving of the other’s faults. The King James Version of the Bible uses a better word; "long suffering." It is easy to become impatient with our spouse when we feel he is not trying to be better, or if he has selfish motives for his actions. Jesus tells the story of the man who was forgiven much, but forgave little–for this failure to have patience and show mercy, he was chained. All of us have been forgiven much, we should be all the more eager to forgive quickly those we love. e need to turn our face to God and recognize our own sin and faults. It is God’s great patience that allows us to live and breathe. Patience and forgiveness needs to be supported by kindness. Patience without kindness will lead to grudges and feeling sorry for yourself. The Martyrdom Syndrome. Love doesn’t envy. It always feels happy for all the the good that befalls another. In this case not just "another" but your husband. . .his successes, his victories. Llove doesn't envy even during the times that he is proven right and you are shown to be wrong. Love is completely unselfish. It is not "I want" but "let me give." "Let me give to you, my husband, completely of myself, my understanding, my selflessness, my kindness, my loyalty. . . Let me put aside thoughts of myself and do everything in your best interest." It is important to understand that love does not expect or need reciprocating. Husbands are commanded to love their wives, but your love should not be based upon his love for you, nor his love on your love for him, but rather the love that both of you share should be based upon God’s unfailing love for us. Perhaps the most important and least remembered aspect about love is that love does not fail. Regardless of changing circumstances, situations, responses, or attitudes, love is able to conquer the frustrations and prejudices that it encounters. You must love each other through the power of the Spirit and through the knowledge and love of God, or your feelings for each other will only be a shallow copy of the real thing that dissipates with changing circumstances. Janice LaQuiere is a freelance author and website designer. A truant at the tender age of six, years before the homeschool movement. She has since been reformed, but still hasn't determined if she was schooled, homeschooled, or unschooled. She is in real estate and resides in St. Clair Shores, MI. For copyright information or to reprint this article please contact the author directly at: Janice LaQuiere
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