What does love mean to you?
BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:
"Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means 'God is with us.' When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus."
~Matthew 1:18-25
It was only this past weekend that we were all blessed to see Jesus born, and so we celebrate the Christmas season to commemorate and honor our Lord on His birthday. For me, Christmas has always brought a wonderful sense of joy and happiness: from opening presents to decorating Christmas trees, it is truly the season of giving and love.
This got me thinking last night about love itself. I know I have mentioned love so many times in my articles, but hear me out.
With all my thinking about love, I couldn't help but notice that I am single this Christmas. This is not a complaint or a call for sympathy--it's a fact. Like I said, I'm not upset about this, but I do think that being single right now says a lot about where I am in life and who I am right now. It tells me firstly that I am focused on loving my family and friends, all of whom I would be lost without. It also tells me that I am in the perfect position to pray for my present and future relationships. Don't be fooled though: this calls for some work on my relationship with God too.
So here's what I decided to do: I decided to write who I am and what love means to me right now. This is just a short reflection on being single, but knowing what it can be. Here's my conclusion about myself, single-hood, and love:
I am a hopeless romantic. I believe love is powerful because it is honest and true. I believe holding on to love is brave, even when it doesn't work out. I have known love of various kinds - some lasting and others fleeting, some torturously maddening and others independently blissful. But the beauty of love is that it provides hope in the darkest of times and glee on the brightest of days. And the beauty of love is that we find it purely through Christ. It's perfect, it's wonderful, it's amazing, it's gracious, and it's all-encompassing.
Whew! Now that you all know my deepest and slightly embarrassing thoughts, I challenge you ladies: What are the relationships in your life saying about the person you are right now? What has God revealed to you about love? What conclusion can you come to about what love means to you? Think about it. Write it down. Who you are and what role does love play?
For all my talk of love, I have nothing but confidence in its hold on people's hearts and souls. I have nothing but utter amazement in its captivation on people's very existence. I have nothing but love for the person God has called me to be.
Your Laughing Sister,
Callahan
Check out the LOVE and HAPPINESS quotes page for more inspiration!