"I love you", my husband said to me. He tells me he loves me many times a day and dozens of times a week! I always respond with "I love you too!" As we approach our 23rd year of marriage we both agree, our love has not gone cold. In fact, it is more alive and we are closer together than ever before!
Like many couples we have at times struggled in our married life. We have at times been guilty of foolish pride and said and done things we both deeply regret. We have confessed and repented of many sins committed against each other. Our love has proven to be unshakable and unbreakable.
Recently when my sweet husband told me he loved me, I thanked him. I thanked him because giving someone your love is an act of precious trust. When you love someone you are gifting them an unseen yet very real part of yourself to keep. When you give your love to someone it means you believe they will take care of you, cherish you, be good and kind to you. It is a sacred bond and should be protected and nurtured.
I think if more of us thought about what it means to be entrusted with the love of another person we would not treat those words so casually. We would not tell people we barely know that we love them. We would not tell people we love them because we feel sorry for them and want to make them feel better. We would not lie about love to get our own way or for selfish gain. I tell very few people that I love them because those words carry so much weight. The gravity of loving someone and being loved is enormous.
Love is a commitment. When it is real love is not easily or casually tossed aside when the relationship gets tough. Sometimes you have to fight to hold onto it and to protect it. You don't completely realize this until you face some dark days together.
When someone loves you, you must not ever take that for granted. You cannot abuse it or them and expect love to always be there. You must not assume love needs no maintenance. Loving can never be on auto pilot, it requires daily investment in each other. It requires such selflessness that I honestly think few people really understand what true love is.
I love you sweet husband.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever... 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NLT