Love

This is a para-phrasing of 1 Corinthians 13. It was in our pre-martial training book (I have no clue who wrote it) but Drew and I both love this. I thought of it this morning in church, and thought I would share it for Valentine's Day! It is kind of long, but you should read it, hey I typed it! haha :) It really is a perfect picture of what marriage should look like:

When I am loved, I can make mistakes. I can lose my temper. I can be late, I can cry. I can grow at my own pace because love is patient. When I am loved, I know that encouragment and reproof will be given gently, and that things that are important to me will be important to the one who loves me because love is kind. When I am loved, I know that I can have talents and strengths and successes that may be even greater in some areas than the one who loves me, and that those talents and strengths and successes will be encouraged and supported, because love does not envy. And I know that I will not be in competition with the one who loves me because love isn't proud. Whatever either of us can learn to be simply makes us a stronger unit of love. When I am loved, I can know that my interests and feelings and tears and laughter count. I can trust my deepest needs and greatest fears to the one who loves and know that I will be listened to and protected and cradled because love is not rude or self-seeking. When I am loved, I know that my bad moods or hard days or selfish time won't be met iwth intolerance or standards of performance that I can't measure up to. I know that it's all right to be imperfect. I know that I have some freedom to say things that I might not really mean or to react immaturely or to release a little frustration because love is not easily angered. I have more than one chance, I have a lifetime of chances. When I am loved I can make a mistake today and not have to apologize for it for the next three years because love makes no record of wrongs. When I am loved the very nature of God becomes real to me because love rejoices with the truth. When I am loved, I come to know God. When I am loved, I have a place to run and hide from the attacks of Satan where I am safe. I have a refuge. I have a place where I know I am always welcome because love protects. When I am loved, I am allowed to know the hidden thoughts of the one who loves because love trusts. When I am loved, I have the joy of becoming everything that God intends for me to become, everything that He promises I can be, because love hopes, and hope is built on what we know is going to happen. And, finally, when I am loved I don't have to be afraid that it will go away today or tomorrow or forever, because love preservers.



Well, I hope that this encourages you today as much as it has encouraged Drew and I! I know that we in no way have a "perfect marriage", hey nothing is perfect. But reading this is such a great challenge to us and a reminder of what God intends marriage to be! Happy Valentine's Day!