Wednesday, July 16, 2008

True Love

In a few days time I will be witness and godmother to a young couple starting their married life. The bride has had many questions leading to this special day- questions she doesn’t feel her mom can or will answer. So she asked me. One question was, “How can I fulfill all the needs of my husband? I have not seen “true love” demonstrated in my home. (her dad passed away years ago). Ah, so true love is meeting the other’s needs?

If true love means we “need” someone else to complete us, what does that say about singles? Are they less complete that married people? None of us would say that.

So what is true love? We go to the source himself. God loves us truly. But what does it look like? God doesn’t need me to meet his needs- he has none! He is complete in himself. So why does he love me and want my love and devotion? I cannot give him anything? God does not Need me, he Desires me- WOW! He gets nothing extra out of my love- he just loves me! Isaiah 30:18 “Yes, the Lord longs (desires) to be gracious to you…” Psalm 32:10b “…but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man (person) who trusts in him.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

So I told the new bride-to-be- YOU cannot meet your new husband’s needs. All you can give him is your love. He cannot meet your needs- only God can do that. That is why my husband and I can be apart for work or family reasons for a week or two and not crumble or feel “incomplete”. We are complete in ourselves- but we love each and desire (not need) to be with each other.

That to me is true love.