Real Love Isn’t Conditional

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I have been thinking a lot about love this week especially with all the great posts on the blog. I have really been inspired by the words of my amazing family. It was hard for me to make Valentine’s plans when many days I just feel tiredness and exhaustion rather than love. However, I realized that love isn’t conditional. Real love isn’t based on feelings. Although I don’t feel an overwhelming sense of love in all the hard moments, love is there because real love perseveres, hopes, and trusts. Bethany shared a wonderful verse from 1 Corinthians 13 that says without love we are nothing, but with love we can be “free, filled, and flowing!” LOVE IS A BIG DEAL! Therefore, we can’t base love on feelings because feelings wax and wane. When we make a promise to love – we love when it hurts and we love when we aren’t loved back. We love because God first loved us. He loves us in spite of our mistakes. He loves us when we fall short. He loves us the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The promises in God’s love for us have challenged me this week in my love for my family and in my love for others. I must promise to love my children the same when they disobey and when they obey. I have made the promise to love my husband when we agree and when we disagree, when days are hard and when days are filled with laughter and joy.

Remember to fill every day with love. Some days will have a little love, and some will have a lot, but when you choose to love unconditionally, LOVE WILL BE THERE!

“The only way love can last a lifetime is if it’s unconditional. The truth is this: love is not determined by the one being loved but rather by the one choosing to love.”
― Stephen Kendrick, The Love Dare