Happy Valentine’s Day!
As is expected today, plenty of people have turned their thoughts to the matter of love. Today is a day to celebrate those you love in your life, and to remind them of that love. Typically, the focus is on romantic love; on your spouse or significant other, and it’s often shown with things like cards, chocolates, flowers, and a special date together.
I’ve officially reached the age where not being involved – or seeking to be involved – with someone romantically is uncommon. It seems the vast majority of people my age are either dating, engaged, married, or actively looking to enter into that kind of relationship. Friends, family members, old classmates…including plenty of people younger than me.
It’s absolutely wonderful for those God is calling to that right now, and I’m so very joyful for them. But it does also feel odd for me. My parents married young, and I’m already older than my mother was at her wedding. It feels strange to look at their wedding pictures and imagine myself in her place. Would I be ready?
Thankfully, I know I’m not ready simply because God hasn’t brought the right person into my life yet. If I was ready, I’d be married. It seems God has other plans for my life right now, and I’m honestly just fine with that. Though the idea of being married someday is appealing, right now I’m very grateful to have peace with how things are at this moment.
Whether God calls me to marry eventually or not, I trust that He has a plan for me as I am now, and for every day of my life. I look forward to finding it out, moment by moment and day by day.
The things I’ve been able to do since graduating – rather than plan a wedding – have been such a blessing and I wouldn’t trade them. I know this is what God wants for my life at this point and am so glad God is the one in charge of it all and not me – I would never want that pressure!
Not being involved with anyone romantically right now has been a good means of keeping me focused on pursuing a different kind of love. Specifically, agape1; unconditional, selfless love like Christ has shown us. Until I grow in that kind of love, I can’t imagine thriving in romantic love.
I want to reach the point of selflessly loving others, not because they’ve done anything for me, or because they’re kind to me – but just because it’s what Jesus would do. Because it’s what He wants me to do. I want my first reaction to be to love someone, no matter who they are, what they’ve done, where they are, or how well I know them. I want to bless their lives by being an example of Christ.
So far, I’m not to that point, but I’m working, praying, and striving to get there someday. And I know that, with God’s help, I’ll keep increasing in love as long as I keep my heart and mind focused on Him, and on what He wants me to do. Someday I hope to look back and realize that I’ve come a very long way from where I am now.
In addition to meditating on Scriptures regarding love, I often find it to be very inspiring and a helpful reminder to hear what other Christians have to say about loving others. Today, I thought I’d share ten of my favorite quotes about love, with the hopes they speak to your heart as much as they speak to mine.
1. “Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.”
(Mother Teresa)
2. “So I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”
(Corrie ten Boom)
3. “Forgive and give as if it were your last opportunity. Love like there’s no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again.”
(Max Lucado, Every Day Deserves a Chance: Wake Up to the Gift of 24 Hours)
4. “The more we love, the more love we have to offer. So it is with God’s love for us. It is inexhaustible.”
(Mary C. Neal)
5. “The overriding character trait of Jesus is love, and the entire Gospel story is woven with love. Sometimes it’s not easy, and oftentimes it requires sacrifice, but it’s when we love that we are the most like Jesus.”
(Steven Furtick)
6. “The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.”
(Rick Warren)
7. “Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did.”
(C. S. Lewis)
8. “Being loved is life’s second greatest blessing; loving is the greatest.”
(Jack Hyles)
9. “In the New Testament, love is more of a verb than a noun. It has more to do with acting than with feeling. The call to love is not so much a call to a certain state of feeling as it is to a quality of action.”
(R. C. Sproul)
10. “If we have got the true love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we will show it in our lives. We will not have to go up and down the earth proclaiming it. We will show it in everything we say or do.”
(Dwight L. Moody)
What a blessing and a privilege to know the love Jesus poured out for us on the cross; that He continues to give every day of our lives. I’m praying that we’ll all continue to grow in His love, and show more and more of it to others as well. Nothing changes lives more than the sacrificial, unending love of Christ.
Did any of these quotes speak to you today? Go ahead and let me know your favorites in the comments, as well as if there is a certain topic you’d like to see more quotes about. While you’re there, I’d love to hear something YOU’RE learning about love!
“A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.”
(John 13:34-35 NIV)
1. A good article explaining agape can be found here.
2. I shared more of my quote collection in my previous posts: 10 Encouraging Quotes For Difficult Times, 10 Inspiring Quotes About Thanksgiving, 10 Stirring Quotes About Joy, and 10 Quotes about Conquering Fear.
3. To receive your own printable pages of the above quotes (and the ones used in my other ‘Quotes’ posts), sign up for my email list! Simply fill in the form here, and I’ll send you PDF copies of the quote collections – as well as an inspirational short story. I look forward to hearing from you!
Recent Posts:
This is wonderful and so encouraging! I remember a year or two ago being in that place of wanting to get married someday, but knowing that I had so many other things God was calling me to at the time. Now I am in a wonderful relationship, but it is so much better to wait for God’s timing, and live and love wherever God has put you! 😊😊
Thank you! And absolutely 🙂 His timing is so much better than anything I could come up with.
I know how you feel. Good luck with everything you are going through and thanks for the quotes!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂