I have been wanting to write on Love for a long while and after hearing a sermon one Sunday morning on it I knew that God was putting a lesson on Love in my heart. Yes, I am in Love at the moment with a amazing man but I soon realized that Love as beautiful as it is must be intentional.
LOVE = Selfless commitment to another's well being.
I think the word commitment in this definition is what brings on the act of being intentional. I think for the most part (and this is a generalization) people want to see other's succeed. Teachers want their students to pass. Coaches want their team to win. Parents want their kids to have good jobs, marry the right people etc. But to be selflessly committed to one other person with the end goal resulting in their well being must be intentional.
I was with my sister the other day and one of her little girls was crying, I mean wailing. Her poor baby girl was hungry and was not up for the car ride home. As we drove along the crowded 3:30 p.m. streets of Brownsville trying our best to make it home as fast as we could I saw what a selfless commitment it was to be a mother. Drop everything and meet the needs of your baby. You come second the needs your baby has come first. I was sure my sister wasn't going to say "Yeah I can hear you crying but I really do need to stop for a manicure and pedicure, so zip your lip girl can't you see your mom has needs to." Ok so the example might seem far fetched to us as Christians but you get the picture.
It was not about my sister, it was about her baby.
Thank God it just doesn't stop with children but God desires us to live intentional about love.
As I get ready to get married I thought about living out Love in my relationship with my fiance. I love him dearly and want him to succeed and think he is the most amazing man on the face of the earth. I deeply desire to intentionally Love him. Not love him because he did it all perfectly or knew what to say but purpose in my heart to Love simply. I think that often times being in christian circles wives or husbands tend to have more grace on their "disciples" than they do on their own spouse. Believe me I have heard enough negative talk on marriage and the "just wait after you are married seven years it's a shocker, eyes wander and you grow tired." AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I hate the attitude some have now a day about marriage and call me naive but I would rather have faith like a child in the Lord about my marriage and future than to negatively anticipate and participate in some of this marriage counsel. If God designed Love and marriage than He alone will be faithful to see it to the end. It is not my desire to throw my hands in the air and say well whatever happens happens nor is it my desire to anticipate a negative relationship in the future.
What I have decided is to pray and ask the Lord that he make me Love intentionally. To Love not just those who love me ---For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? MATTHEW 5:46
Do I claim to be an expert, No not at all, do i boast that my life will always be perfect, No, I know God builds us through trials.
But what I do draw comfort in is knowing that He loved intentionally for me. I didn't deserve his commitment of selfless love. Christ is the one who is the model of this and I need to cling to Him in order to anticipate Love and intentionally give it to others.
***That definition in itself brings about so much conviction in my heart, if I can be painfully honest. I want to Love intentionally not just to please my future husband or others but to please my God, the one who selflessly committed Himself for my well being that He might be lifter higher.
