Zion Baptist Chapel
Looking for Love?
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO VALENTINE'S DAY? It has special meaning in our
household as Lisa, my wife, and I met for the first time on 14th February 1998.
We were 'just good friends' for a almost a year before 'we fell in
love', but then things moved quickly and we were married on 12th February
2000. So this month we celebrate our 6th anniversary, and I can honestly say
it's the second best thing I have ever done.
Those who have been together a lot longer than six years will tell you that 'falling in love' isn't what makes a relationship work in the long-term. It is said that "love is blind" and at first it is easy to overlook your partner's less than loveable characteristics or habits. Robert Winnett's poem 'Love's Insight' shows, however, that sooner or later our eyes need to be opened, not only to our partner's faults, but to our own as well.
Love me as flesh and blood, not the ideal
Which vainly you imagine me to be;
Love me the mixed-up creature that you see;
Love not the man you dream of but the real.
I have heard it said that 'true love' is when someone knows who you really are (warts and all) and still loves you anyway. The surprising thing is that loving somebody often motivates us into trying to be a better person, spurs us on to doing something about those unattractive parts of our own lives and personalities. True love is sacrificial, but when we really love someone we are willing to pay the price.
The Bible has a lot to say about love, and in particular how much God loves us. It says "this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" - "greater love has no one than this". He knew my faults, and in fact he died in my place because of them. The best thing I ever did was responding to God's love - when he asked me to love him back, I said 'I do!'. So, will God's love for you remain unrequited this Valentine's Day?
If you want to arrange your first date with Jesus, why not ask for an invitation to the Alpha Supper - details of which can be found elsewhere in this magazine.