But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. -Luke 6:35
In case you're wondering, I'm not going to rant about how hard dating and marriage is. It is, no question. But I want to dig into more of the general nature of love.
So often, we think love is an emotion. This euphoric feeling. This may not be as true in many Christian circles, but it is very apparent in secular ones. In the world, love is regarded as a self-satisfying feeling. Love is seen as something to grasp tightly and never let go. Love is said to be about what a person does for or says to you that shows they care.
In fact, it's the exact opposite.
Love is a choice. It is an action. Love is about what you can do for someone else, even if it costs you something. That doesn't mean it should destroy all that you are for the sake of making someone smile.
Love isn't all about the good times and the laughter. Yes it is there as well, but love is much bigger than that. Love is telling your best friend to stop overthinking every step she takes. Love is holding your brother accountable to being honest. Love is trying to keep the your room clean for your roommate.
Love isn't easy, that much most people know. We have several romantic comedy and drama flicks that tell us as much. But what is interesting is they usually end at the "Happily Ever After." But what about how much work goes into marriage? What about transitioning into a new family dynamic? Or balancing time with friends or raising children? How about work situations, do those change or how are they worked around?
All of these things require effort. And hopefully we're still growing with God as we go. But relationships, of any kind, aren't a luxury we are just given. We can have a lot of surface-y relationships that demand little of us, but are they worth keeping? No.
Love is something you give, without a promise of return. It's taking the extra, intentional time to be there for someone else, in whatever way they need, even if you don't get a single thing out of it.
That alone makes love incredibly difficult.
But the most difficult things, the most rare and worked for things of this world, are the most precious.
Love wouldn't be so wonderful if it was easy, if it was self-satisfying.
It is amazing because it takes effort, time, and daily choosing to put others above ourselves.
