This upcoming week, you’re most likely thinking about one of two things:
1. What you’re going to buy for your significant other for this Thursday or
2. How much money you’re going to spend on yourself this Friday when all the Valentine’s Day chocolates are ½ price.
If you weren’t thinking about one or both of those things, you’re welcome for the friendly reminder, and don’t forget to share any great deals that you find this Friday.
In the last few months being in college, I’ve had many people ask me why I’m still single. While my youth pastor or any of my buds could tell you stories as to why that might be, those who asked, I really kind of asked myself the same thing.
Is there something wrong with me? Did I say or do something so that maybe I’m not set to date someone? Do I need to try harder? Am I doing the right things? I feel like maybe I do need a girlfriend…...I mean, all of my friends have one, so why don’t I have one?
After being out of a relationship for a while, I've found that 'love' isn't about being in an intimate relationship with another individual, and that it's actually much more than sharing your Chick-fil-A waffle fries and Netflix password.
This past weekend, I was at another church retreat being a chaperone for some junior-highers.
The main message that was being delivered revolved around the Bible’s most famous love passage, Song of Solomon 2:1-2.
I’m kidding, geez. But for real, check those verses out later, they’re really funny and completely off topic.
No, the verses I was referring to were found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-13.
I won’t touch on the entire chapter, but I do want to point out a few verses from it:
Verse 4 says “Love is patient.”
For those of you who don’t know, my mom was a single mom for 7 years. During that time, she was incredibly patient, and didn't settle for her first option. She was prayerful, and trusted God's decisions over her own.
Later on, when God saw she was ready, He answered by delivering her my step-dad, Shalin.
Verse 4 also says “Love is kind.”
Love is ‘uncomfortably kind’. It’s putting aside your thoughts about others and your own ego and making someone else feel special.
Verse 5 says “Love is not easily angered.”
Love is when someone in your family uses up your entire data plan a week before it resets, and you choose to tell them that you love them instead of screaming special words in their face.
Verse 5 also says “Love keeps no record of wrongs.”
This means that love is forgiving, and understanding that the person who hurt you is likely to mess up again, just as we all mess up.
Verse 7 says “Love trusts and protects.”
Love is looking after those who we think do or don’t deserve our help, but we choose to care for them when they are being attacked by whatever is trying to bring them down, and trusting that they’ll do the same for us.
Verse 7 also says “Love always hopes, and always perseveres.”
My best friend, Blake, had the highest of hopes for my other best friend, Rachel, except for a while, she wasn’t “feeling it”.
Instead of him listening to all of us guys who told him, “It’s probably not going to work out, bud.” he was prayerful, consistent to be there for her as a friend, and eventually she came to realize how amazing of a guy he was.
What she also realized was that Blake wasn’t just an amazing guy, but that he was an amazing man of God. Blake valued Rachel for the passion she had for ‘Him’ (as in Christ), not ‘him’ (as in Blake), and Rachel the same for Blake.
While it is great to find someone, who you find attractive, suitable to date, it’s even better to know that their vision lines up with yours. That you can grow together through the body Christ, and not for your own wants.
This is all because ‘love’ isn’t necessarily something that can be seen with your eyes, but something that can be felt and understood with your heart.
Psalm 34:17-18 says this:
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Just in case you weren’t getting the message, I underlined the verses so you would.
If you long for something or someone, you need to cry out! God hears you, even if sometimes you feel like He doesn’t.
God is close to your heart, and when He feels you are ready, He will find someone else who is ready and He will connect you to that person.
Scrolling through your Instagram feed, or better yet, swiping left on all of your Tinder matches, will not accelerate God’s progress for your future. Praying, worshiping, and serving others will.
The more you do those things, you’ll lose track of time, and eventually, you’ll run into someone you never thought you’d run into, and you’ll look up to God at the end of the day and say, “No kidding, you actually fulfilled your promise!”
Then He’s going to chuckle because you no longer are going to be delighting yourself with ½ price chocolates. You’ll be investing your money into your newly requested significant other.
With that said, continue the rest of your Sunday and your week of love by showing love instead of seeking love. Be patient, be prayerful, and fix your eyes upon God.
Live, LOVE, and be loved.
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