Becoming HIS Tapestry

Christian Lifestyle Blogger

IS LOVE REALLY ENOUGH?

Hello Friends, how are you today? We are having a beautiful day today; although I had to get up earlier than I like and the workers are already pounding away on the neighbor’s roof and it’s like 58°… But hey, who’s counting? Because… Psalm118 24 How are you today? How shall you respond to the happenings of this day?

This is my friend Darlene at Healed to Speak.  I actually stumbled across Darlene’s blog while writing this month’s series on marriage.  I honestly felt she hit the nail on the head, in every single one of her marriage posts.  It’s a beautiful thing, when you find someone who can express, what seems like your thoughts so eloquently.  She’s good.. Check out her blog, I promise, you will not be disappointed.

Hello everyone. My name is Darlene and I am a Christian, wife, mother, and blogger at Healed to Speak. I am grateful for the opportunity to write a guest blog for Brenda at Becoming His Tapestry.  The transparency in her blogs has been a blessing to me.  

Over the last ten weeks, I have been led by God to focus my blog posts on marriage. Marriage is a wonderful journey instituted by God and it is the only relationship that mirrors God’s love for His church. Marriage proves how much God loves. He decided to create someone for us with the purpose of becoming more like God while using our spouses in that process. I am grateful to God for marriage, but in my almost thirteen years, I have sometimes felt the love was not enough.  

What do you mean? Well…Have you ever felt like you have tried everything to improve your marriage, but you are running out of options? Have you ever felt like you are at the end of your rope? Have you shared how you felt with your spouse and nothing has changed? Have your marital issues worsened? Have you prayed to God and still see no change? Have you ever felt that way in your marriage? I cannot be the only one.

About a month ago, my husband and I had an honest conversation about this. We ended our conversation with two opposing ideas. My husband believed love was enough and I believed it was not.  But as I was praying and contemplating about what to write to you, this subject came back to me. “Knowing that God is love and His love is unconditional, I felt the question within me:  What if God said that to me?”  How would I feel if the Heavenly Father said to me, my love to Him is not enough? …that I need to earn his love as if what took place at Calvary wasn’t enough.” 

Whoa! Powerful right? When I heard this, it made me view everything in my marriage differently. The love we have for our spouses must go beyond Eros love, which is the physical, sensual intimacy between a husband and wife. The love we have for our spouses must be the love God demonstrates towards us, which is Agape love. This love is not based on feelings, but it is a sacrificial love that voluntarily suffers inconvenience, discomfort, and even death for the benefit of another without expecting anything in return. This is the cornerstone of God’s love for us.  

1 John 4:8 tell us, “Anyone who does not love, does not know God, because God is love.” Therefore, how could love not be enough?

On many occasions, I have heard the terms agape, but in the context of the love relationship between Christians. I never heard this word discussed in the context of the marriage where it counts most. We are commanded to show Agape love towards our brothers in Christ, but how can we show this love to our brothers if we cannot continuously demonstrate this love towards our spouses? 

This means when times get tough in marriage, or my husband is getting on my last nerve, I must love him with God’s agape love; not my own. This means it goes beyond my own strength, thoughts, and feelings, and it is God’s way of teaching us how to love. This is exactly the way our heavenly Father loves us. No strings attached and no expectations. This does not mean love gives our spouses the right to mistreat us…absolutely not. However, it does mean regardless of what they do, our job is to love them beyond it.  

So, when you find yourself at your wits end with your spouse and you don’t know what to do, choose love. More importantly, choose God’s love; the kind that covers a multitude of sins.  

Scriptures
1 John 4:8
I Corinthians 13:4-8
I John 4:20

Thank you so much for this post, Darlene.  Thank you.

Wow! What a novel idea! What would our spousal relationship look like, if we choose to love like this? What if we choose to love our spouse unconditionally, unfailingly, unwaveringly? I do believe the Lord would say, “Well done”, don’t you?  Because the only way we can love like this, is when we are able to…Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,and your neighbor as yourself.”

closing1brenda

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38 responses to “IS LOVE REALLY ENOUGH?”

  2. Although I am not at all in any way interested in marriage this message did bless my soul. I am more in love with this verse at the moment,”1 Corinthians 7:34 There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” There may of been a time when I did desire a husband but now it has been soooooooooooo many years single I delight in the Lord, The Lord has become my husband ( Isaiah 54) and truth be told I am uncertain if I am willing to give that up for any man. I am happy where I am now but thank those who speak on all God’s Wisdom for the Lord does call some of us to marriage and others to be set aside for God. They are both a delight. if it is the Lord’s will it will happen but until then my eyes are gladly on God. Thank you for such a lovely post

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      • God bless you and thank God for the Mothers to. I do not think I chose that route. Truth be told all I ever wanted was a husband and to be a good wife, but that is not what was dealt for me. I am glad God took me in. Filled my void. I was empty inside and I am thankful for God and I also am thankful for wives and husbands in the Lord, it is a blessing to see! May God bless you and your family abundantly and always keep you together in Jesus name Amen!

        Liked by 3 people

  4. Thank you, Darlene, for sharing this, the unconditional love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, Christians don’t need to try to work it out, it’s our present hour reality. ”For love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not …….. 1John 4;7-8 so if we are born of God we have no difficulty in loving anyone. Thumbs Up!

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  7. Thank you, Brenda, for sharing this…It is Powerful!! It’s not late to be fed what we need. While we are still here. I’m thankful and grateful. ((Hugs))

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. Great post! Thank you Brenda for sharing Darlene’s experience with us, though I’m not married as yet, I am storing up good infor for that future day, if God is so gracious to me. I’m been around that marriage bent when in my early twenties and we stayed together exact nine months as a couple and five years later divorced…we clearly weren’t ready either of us for marriage. Keep writing informative and inspiring articles. And by the way, thank you for liking and following my post to your support is encouraging.
    ashes4him

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  10. Wonderful post! Love is the heart of the Bible. It is woven through from Genesis to Revelation. It is the message of God’s plan and reason to redeem us. For God so loved the world … GOD IS LOVE. That is the love He wants us to have for one another … beloved let us love one another … husbands love your wives.

    The answer to the question — Is love really enough? is an emphatic YES!
    But the question is – “do we love enough?” ❤️

    ❤️carmen

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    • That’s a great question that deserves an individual answer; do we love enough? For me to do that, I must take the attention off me and place it on the Lord and His Word. His love for me is so overwhelming that Je enable me to love others, His way

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  16. Brenda, I am so thankful you shared this post today. It touched my heart so much. Marriage is give and take… With God giving us grace and love for one another we can glorify HIM. Thank you so much for sharing your friend Darlenes post… I really needed this today. I am so thankful God knew exactly what I needed to hear at the exact moment I needed to hear it. This morning in the car I heard Losing by Tenth Ave. North. I hope when you get a moment you will listen… I feel it is fitting for your post today. May God bless you and shine extra sunshine your way today!

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