Is love a feeling? Most individuals believe that it must be a feeling that you experience to be in a committed relationship. Sure, there are erotic feelings in the beginning of a relationship, however those feelings tend to dissipate after the newness of the relationship wears off. Let’s get real – relationships take two unique individuals to choose to continue to love each other. How do you do that when you become frustrated with your partner or start to experience boredom? Here are a few suggestions of what you can do:
• Begin each day with prayer asking God to help you love your partner the way he or she needs
• Tell yourself that you are choosing to love your partner because God chose to love you
• Love without setting any conditions
• Identify what love means to you
• Write down ways that you can demonstrate love daily
• Be intentional and ask God for peace in your heart
• Demonstrate acts of kindness
I would like to reference 1 Corinthians 13:
a. Love is patient
b. Love is kind
c. It does not envy
d. It does not boast
e. It is not proud
f. It does not dishonor others
g. It is not self-seeking
h. It is not easily angered
i. It keeps no record of wrongs
j. Love does not delight in evil
k. Love rejoices with the truth
l. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres
m. Love never fails
There will be those seconds, minutes, hours, days, and weeks when you experience challenges to choose to love your partner which is normal and understandable. However, those are the moments that it may be helpful to turn towards God and ask him to help pull you out of those feelings and show love to your partner the way he/she needs you to.
Pray with your spouse daily about your marriage and union together recognizing that during struggles, you are willing to work through them together.
“Love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34
