What Would You Do For Love?
To this point this month I have focused primarily on every form of love except romantic love. I have focused on the love God has for us, the love we have for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, but today, I want to shift briefly to “Eros” love, a passionate, romantic love. Our society has conditioned so many people to believe this type of love is cheap, easy, and disposable. A lot of these issues are programmed into the hearts of people during the dating years. That often carries over into marriages; when trouble arises, when conflict shows up, we avoid it, we run from it, we use any little thing, or major issue, as an out. Most of us could say we have made some terrible decisions in relationships of our past. But, what if we approached our relationships with our spouses or fiances as Jacob did Rachel? Would you serve as essentially a slave for 14 years for a lifetime of love?
That’s exactly what Jacob did. You can read the entire story in Genesis 29. But, if we were brutally honest, if we were to lay it all on the table right now, we’ve cheapened our love at times in our marriages. How? By withholding forgiveness and clinging to grudges, by keeping record of our spouse’s wrongs, by being passive aggressive in our approach to conflict. Maybe you don’t have to work your way to earn the love of your spouse for 14 years, but if it was the only way to have a lifetime of love, would you do it? Instead of going the way of everyone else who looks to find a way out, we should be the ones who work harder than anyone to find a way to make it work; no matter what (Disclaimer for those in violent or abusive relationships: Seek help!) To say we know the love of Christ but aren’t excellent lovers of our spouses doesn’t add up. We should strive to love our spouses perfectly; forgiving the hurtful things, working together to overcome conflict. It’s not always going to be easy, but, it will definitely be worth it. Would you stay committed for 14 years? What would you do for the love of your spouse? Happy Valentine’s Day!
Heavenly Father, Thank You for showing me the example of how I am to love my spouse, and how to pursue the one my heart desires. May I love my spouse or future spouse in a way that reflects Your perfect love. -Amen
So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
Genesis 29:20 NLT
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