A deeper love

The healing journey continues…

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and I was blessed to serve as the Worship Leader at church. To be festive, I threw on a red dress and pulled my locs into a tight bun. However, to be reflective, I read the following two scriptures:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:7-9

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

As I prepped for my role yesterday, I sat with God and asked Him, “what is love?” So often we [rightfully] turn to John 3:16 as the only definition of love… when in actuality, God’s own Word tells us simply that He is love. Yes, in His love He gave His only begotten Son for the remission of our sins, but to comprehend that level of love, we must first recognize the fact that God is love and love is God.

I have no intention of going into a full dissertation of the Biblical meaning of love today. While I could, I don’t believe that’s what you need today. Today, I think you need to know one thing- love is healing. As I mentioned at the start of this post, we are continuing on this healing journey and we are still safely on the healing side of pain. Whatever pains we have endured in the past, we are now on the healing side of that pain. No longer will we be bound to the pains of our past; those chains have been forever broken.

So what’s the point of today’s post? To talk about LOVE, Beloved!

If my Instagram posts spoke for me, they would talk of the beauty of my Valentine’s Day. After church, my boyfriend and I spent quality time together, doing what we do best- exploring new vegan food. We began our morning with freshly dipped chocolate covered strawberries (Safi Personal Events), further indulged in delicious donuts (Glory Dough & Diner), ventured to Harper’s Ferry for some fresh air, and had a tasty lunch at a new spot (Earth Based Cafe). He was in sweats and some boots; I was long removed from my red dress and now in leggings and my new snow boots. We were comfortable and just enjoying our time together. Yet even in our relaxed, informal comfort, it was by far the best Valentine’s Day that I’d had in my life simply because of healing.

You see, because of the relationships of my past, I expected my love life to look a certain way. I expected to put forth minimal effort, yet yield a bountiful and loving relationship. I thought that my past entitled me to quality love and that my presence alone would make the relationship work with no issues… and if there were issues, the blame would lay solely on my partner, never me. However, being in this relationship has caused me to see the delusion in my prior thoughts. Our relationship is work. Everyday I must show up, choosing yet again to put God first and let Him work wonders within us both so that our relationship can work. I have to continue to trust that though neither of us is perfect, God is doing something wonderful in us and through our unity. And as we held hands throughout our travels, I continued to pray and trust, realizing just how far God has brought me in my healing.

Ok, buckle up; this part is for YOU.

On this healing side of pain, God is going to reintroduce love to you. You may have known a version of it before and it may have seemed like the best thing since sliced Vegan bread, but greater is yet to come. This isn’t a glamorous prophecy that I am speaking, but instead a recitation of God’s Word. He is love and when we know Him, we know love. One can stand to reason that as we go deeper with God, we will know Him in a way like never before therefore, we will know love in a deeper way. Whether that forthcoming love is romantic, platonic, familial or professional, a love like never before is surely on its way. Brace yourself in God and welcome that love with open arms.

Today I challenge you to delve deeper into your understanding of Who God is and what He defined love to be. There is so much more to what we thought love to be. Go deeper; develop a deeper love.

Be Blessed.