Philippians 4:11 “I am not telling you this because I need anything. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens.”
I want to begin by saying Happy Valentines Day to everyone. Today is of course a national holiday celebrated by so many just to tell that special someone you love them in an extra special way. Hopefully you take the time each day to tell your loved ones you love them and that you show it in your actions as well as in your words. So, since I am not sure how many readers I will have because you all are out celebrating with loved ones, I am going to write a special fluff piece on love and the ways we can define love to those around us. Whether married, single, in a new relationship, or spending your golden years of valentine’s together, we all can learn to love a little deeper and a little more than just what Hollywood has taught us.
Love isn't perfect. It isn't a fairy tale or a like a story in a book and it does not always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. Is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without. Love is work, but most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, every second of it was worth it because you did it together.
Ever since little girls were five years old and saw Cinderella, they knew what a fairy tale ending in life should be. Since then, there have been movies upon movies of the perfect romance and princesses with their fairy tales. As girls get older, they start seeing the “perfect” proposals, the “perfect” idea of what couples in love should look and act like through unrealistic romantic movies, T.V. shows, books, even Facebook and YouTube videos. What is supposed to be “perfect” floods the minds of young couples who soon have their idea of what fairy tale romance should look like.
So now what? You found the right partner for life; you just might have had the perfect proposal and then the wedding bells. Now all the excitement has died down and your fairy tale ending is missing. What happened?
To begin with, all the movies and T.V shows show something staged and acted out. It doesn’t portray reality and what many couples really go through to get to the “perfect” ending. Second, they never show what happens after they get the proposal or even the “I do”. So of course, you might feel let down wondering what happens next.
I’m just as guilty as the next person who wanted all the bells and whistles of a fairy tale romance that leads to the happy ending. And no, I didn’t get the “perfect” proposal (my husband is not a very romantic man). My marriage has been like nothing I’ve seen on T.V. or in movies with birds singing, candle lit evenings, star gazing, and romance. That does not describe my marriage and that is okay. My marriage has had ups and downs, curveballs left and right and has seen good times and bad times but we’re happy and in love with each other. I’ve been, for the most part, happy to live in the reality of marriage with my husband and children rather than the fantasized romance of the movie’s standards. And the older I get and the longer I am married I am falling in love with my husband in a much deeper way and I am loving the chapter in life we have gotten to.
So, what if your marriage is not as you dreamed of as a child or teenager. So, what if your courtship or proposal was not running through fields of flowers hand in hand. You are married to your best friend; a person God has chosen for you. If you want your fairy tale ending, you have to toss out your pre-existing ideas of what you’ve seen in movies and make this life you are living your happily ever after. Whether your spouse is a romantic or just a simple person, embrace what you two share and love deeply and whole heartedly. You are living your fairy tale.
The best part about love is that we can always find the way God wants us to love just by reading the Bible, His love letter to us.
Ten Ways to Say Love
Listen…………… without interrupting (Proverbs 18)
Share…….……….without pretending (Ephesians 4:15)
Speak…………….without accusing (James 1:19)
Enjoy………….…..without complaint (Philippians 2:14)
Give……………....without sparing (Proverbs 21:26)
Trust……………..without wavering (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Pray……………...without ceasing (Colossians 1:19)
Forgive…………..without punishing (Colossians 3:13)
Answer…………..without arguing (Proverbs 17:1)
Promise…………..without forgetting (Proverbs 13:12)
What is true love? It's not the cheesy “couple goals” posts for Instagram. It's not the fancy dates, the happy hours, or the majestic nights laughing at silly movies.
True love is waking up in the middle of the night to help you when you're sick because I don't want you to be sick alone. It's being your shoulder to cry on, to vent to.
True love is being your biggest cheerleader and toughest critic. True love is looking at each other on a spiritual level, a level so deep that you can feel them when they're gone.
True love is summed up in 6 little words, “No matter what, I got you.”
Our truest love can be found with God who always says, “Don't worry, I've got this, and I've got you.”
I have spent a lot more time reading and studying my Bible as I have been getting older and it has drastically changed my life. It’s been the key to transformations in my perspectives and attitudes, and God has healed and restored my spirit, soul and body through the power of His Word. Even now, I’m still continually amazed by all of the benefits we have access to in God’s Word!
So no matter where you are in your walk with God, I want to encourage you to start spending time in His Word today and be determined to stick with it! You’ll find that every time you study the Bible and pay attention to what you’re reading, you’re learning something.
We are going to start some shorter studies as we get to the smaller books of the New Testament and I hope you take the time to join me as we read through them and possibly take some time to read through the small studies below to help you through the chapters and verses. Today we are going to begin in Philemon 1:1-10.
Study 1, Philemon 1:1-10- https://www.docdroid.net/UDJeWWl/study-1-docx
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