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February 1, 2015

Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

February has become synonymous with a month of love.  It is all about loving your spouse, your significant other, your family, friends, and neighbor.  If I had to choose one Bible verse to represent February, I'd choose 1 Corinthians 13.  I love 1 Corinthians 13 because it is all about love.  I used to have a poster of the scripture on my wall before I really understood what it was or meant, because of the focus on love.

When I was a little girl, I used to dream about fairy tale romance.  The kind you'd read about in a book or the kind you'd see on television.  And to be swept off my feet on Valentine's Day was the ultimate romantic desire.  I was convinced that God would bless me with a romantic to top all of my dreams and romantic requirements.

When I first met my husband, I was taken by his gift for working with children, his gentleness, kindness and patience.  He was also very attractive to me.  He seemed attentive, and genuinely caring.  I believed we would get married, almost like it was "love at first sight".  Sure enough we ended up married years down the road.

I remember my first day at work.  I came home and told my roommates and a good friend of mine that I had just met the man I was going to marry.  They seemed excited for me, although I am sure they didn't really believe anything I said.  A year later, however, he and I started dating.

I just knew God had given me my dream guy.  If this was the man I was supposed to marry, then he must meet all my required characteristics.  He was sweet, funny, handsome and caring.  He seemed to have this warmth and love for others that I had never seen before.  Yes, all of these things were perfect!  CHECK!!  He passed.  As for the romance?  Not in the least bit...God has a sense of humor. I thought.  How in the world could this guy with no romantic bone in his body be my future husband, I'd ask myself and God.  Unbelievable.  There must be some kind of mistake.

I was convinced that either Marcus would turn into this hopeless romantic I'd always dreamed of just like on the television.  Or God made a mistake, and He was biding His time until He got it right.

Well...in 2008, God assured me with confirmation that He had indeed chosen my husband to be my husband.  He went even further with proof when my husband proposed to me immediately after I said, Lord, I thank you for my husband you chose for me.  I ask in the name of Jesus that he call me within the next 10 minutes.  He called me a minute later and ended up proposing in that phone conversation...but I digress...

My point is, God does not make mistakes.  He knows exactly what He is doing and why He is doing it.  1 Corinthians 13:3 says, If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I love not, it profiteth me nothing.    My idea of romance was based off some television or story book idea.  Sure, there are men out there that do those sorts of things.  But not all that do have the kind of love that God can provide.
I once dated someone that was a bit of a romantic, but he called me a female dog.  Is that love?  I also dated someone who bought me flowers and was emotionally abusive to me.  Is that love?

So what's the point of all this?  My point is this:  God could have blessed me with a man who had all the romance in the world, but had little or no love for me.  Instead, He had another plan, a better plan.  God blessed me with a man that knows exactly how to love me.  He blessed me with someone who has all the love for me one human could have for another human being.

As if God's sense of humor wasn't enough in the first place, He showed me that my husband actually is romantic.  He may not be romantic by television or story book standards, but he is romantic in a very unconventional way.  I find this fascinating and intriguing and I have grown quite fond of the how he does things in his own quirky way.

It is as if God said to me through my husband, Patricia, I know exactly what you asked me for.  But I am showing you another way, a better way for love and romance.  Though it looks nothing like the world's way, it is what you need.  His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Once again, God has outdone Himself by blessing me with His chosen mate for me.  Though to the world, our romance may not seem like a story book, if you take a peak at 1 Corinthians 13, you will notice all the characteristics of one.

PAG