Choosing to Love

When God created marriage, He created it as a life-long (which, at that time, was eternity-long) relationship.  That takes commitment.  That takes work.  That takes choosing to love your spouse.  Odd as it may sound, I love that.

That choice can be difficult at times.  When my husband sins, for example.  Yet even that is a way to pass on the love that Christ has given me.  What a privilege!  I digress, though.

I love choosing to love my spouse.  It isn’t just a momentary thing.  It’s more like dwelling.  I Love That He’s Mine, I love to think about him, I love to think of how much I love him, how nice he feels, how good he can be to me, and of God’s ministry to me through him.  Enough of this type of dwelling, and I can really infatuate myself with my husband.  (In a good way.)  The very thought of him can bring that emotion of love washing over me, along with a contented grin.  I love choosing to love my husband.

It is, to a much lesser degree, similar to how we are to choose to love God.  There is certainly more to loving God than just thinking about Him - but that’s the place to start.  I’ve done it enough that when I’m going about my day, and my thoughts turn toward God, I feel that wash of emotion:  of love; of being loved; of peace in the knowledge that He’s in control; even of loving being loved.  

That single turning of thought toward God is suddenly filled by all the knowledge of my earlier dwelling - or meditation - and in that instant, I can refocus.  It’s similar to the feeling of a moment of clarity.  It doesn’t have to only last a moment, though.  I can choose to continue in that focus.

Now we have our ups and downs in our spiritual walk.  I am not promising an immediate shift in focus and wash of good feeling every time.  Our spiritual walk is a battle.  That choosing to love Him - that dwelling or meditation upon Him - is, however, an awesome weapon to have in your arsenal.  I am thankful for the act of choosing to love.