Love Dare

Bryan and I have started a new couples’ devotional to help focus our bible study time together. It’s titled Love Dare and it actually stems from the movie Fireproof, which we used to watch often during our courtship. For one of our past Valentine’s Days, two years ago I believe, he bought me this devotional and said this is for when we’re married. :) I just loved it. It made my heart fill with joy to know that I had a man that loved God, wanted Him to be the foundation of our marriage relationship & our future family and also that he was going to be my spiritual leader. To now see it in action is truly a blessing. I feel God’s love and guidance through my marriage and it’s such a wonderful, exciting, joyful, and inspiring feeling. 

This theme of God’s love never failing has been on repeat in my life. It has been resurfacing itself everywhere I turn. In bible study a couple weeks ago, we were discussing 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

In that discussion my friend mentioned that a good way to look at 1 Corinthians 13 is to replace “Love” or “it” with your name. I didn’t do it in that moment, but it stuck with me. 

As I was driving to church the other week the song “Your Love Never Fails” sung by Jesus Culture came on the radio and literally brought tears to my eyes. The lyrics talk about how God is always there, He always loves, always doing everything to the good of those who love Him! I have been relentlessly praying for God to bless us with a child. We’ve had our share of peaks and valleys when it comes to this and it turns out that getting pregnant is not as easy as they make it sound on TV/movies. In the midst of feeling that despair, I hear that song on the radio. Then I get to church and I heard it again! Then I decided to go to a prayer night at my aunt’s church to receive prayer and that song came on as background music just before I was going to receive prayer! Wow, I heard God in that moment. He was reminding me that His love never fails and that all things will work together for my good. One of the lyrics to the song says, “There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning…” This reminded me that this time isn’t going to last forever. I may feel anguish for the struggles we’ve had in conceiving, but in God’s timing joy will come in the morning. We will conceive and this struggle will be something of the past; we will experience the joy after the pain.  

Isn’t God’s love amazing?!

Now this brings me back to Love Dare. This past week’s study, challenge, and prayer that the book has us doing together is asking God to teach us what real love is and help us to love each other in that way. Then, get this, the book instructed us to read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 and replace the words “love” and “it”. This time I was hearing God loud and clear. We went ahead and did it and Bryan just said “wow”. My thoughts were saying the same thing. How perfect is God’s love and imperfect is ours, but yet we’re perfected through God’s love. Wow.

You’re probably seeing my theme, but not really understanding what it all means. What is God trying to show me? I wondered the same thing for a while and I’m not sure I could even vocalize it until now. God wants me to know that He loves me and He hears my prayers. He has it all figured out and it will all come together in His perfect timing. Until then, I need to focus on what I can focus on. I think he’s trying to have me focus on loving like He does. Certainly this is a characteristic that is mandatory of parents and I’m sure is challenging in parenthood. Not that parents don’t always love their kids, because they certainly do, but 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 goes further than that! Like the parts about patience, not being easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, not be self-seeking, not be envious, or boastful---Wow! I don’t know about you all, but I am certainly not a pro at all of this! However, I can see that all of these characteristics are so important to have as a husband/wife and a parent. 

Well God, I hear you. Not in an audible voice booming down from the heavens, but in my heart and my life I just feel you moving. Thank you for revealing yourself to me. I see the areas where you desire for me to grow, so that Bryan and I can be the best parents we can be. More importantly, so that we can show Christ-like love to our children and disciple them to love you like we do.

If you feel compelled, feel free to pray for us. If anyone desires prayer in return, please let me know. I would love to pray for you too!

Check out this song! It has been such an inspiration to me lately.