What's love these days?

           Okay, so maybe I said that I wasn't going to write about relationships a lot, but some things have happened in the last day that make me want to address the topic just once or twice more (unless you like this... then please comment and I'll keep writing) So, anyways, yesterday I watched the movie "Valentines Day" with my sister. Its a cute film about all these different couples and their interesting day of "love". If you've ever seen the movie (I'm presuming most have...) there's one particular line that made me laugh, but still I realized how very true it was. After interviewing a high school couple on Valentines Day, a reporter makes this concluding statement,

"There you have it, folks. Young love. Full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality."

             Isn't that in a way kind of true? So many times we get so caught up in the promise and hope that "love" brings that we become awfully unaware of the reality... hearts still get broken. I feel like you can't watch a single movie or listen to a single song these days that doesn't have to do with romance or finding "the one" or breaking up or getting back together or ....etc. In many ways, it makes it so much harder on single girls like me. The world makes "falling in love" a god. Its so sad. And what's almost worse than that, is the fact that they degrade what love actually is. So what is love in all actuality? I thought it best defined  by this quote from Joshua Harris...

"The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, “This is love.” God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, “This is love."

              That is love. God's love. A love that's sacrificial. It doesn't want things, it only gives. What many don't realize is that sometimes these days relationships in high school are nothing more than personal gain. "What do I get from this?" "He makes me feel good." "I never am lonely when I am with him." "I feel beautiful around him." These are such common thoughts and statements with girls that are dating at my age. We tend to look for what we can gain from relationships, while real love is sacrificial. Its not self-seeking. Its giving up your wants and needs for another person... rather hard if you ask me. Love is patience. In Song of Solomon it states three times,

"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires"

                What does that mean? Basically its saying... wait on God's timing and don't take things into your own hands. Which is so hard for me. The world makes this kind of love look so appealing, sometimes I just want a little taste, yet God once again firmly states... WAIT. So I wait and wait and wait... and I still am waiting. But then I remember this, waiting is not doing nothing. Its seeking and searching all while God's preparing something amazing for you. Waiting is not killing the desires of your heart, which is something else I unfortunately used to do. I know you might not understand what this means, however there's a quote from this book "The Sacred Romance" that explains this better than I can.

"Anybody can look holy if she's killed her heart; the real test is to have your heart burning within you and have the patience to enjoy what there is now, while waiting with eager anticipation for the feast to come. In Paul's words, we "groan inwardly as we wait eagerly." Contentment can only happen as we increase desire, let it run itself out towards fulfillment, and carry us along with it."

       

       You see, for the longest time, I'd been trying to kill the desire of my heart for romance, but God has recently shown me that's not at all what He wants! He wants me to endure the desire and to "groan inwardly, but WAIT EAGERLY" and along the way he be right beside me helping me. Its still hard, but I always know its worth it! And that's what I encourage you to do also... wait on the Lord. He's the definition of real love these days. And one day, Lord willing, he'll bring you a man to love also, just keep waiting for the right one, the best is yet to come! 
P.S. for more on relationships and saving you heart visit A HopeFul Romantic!