Romance isn’t enough
It’s Valentine’s Day…again. Some of us love the romance, flowers and chocolates. We dress in pinks and reds, adorned in pretty little hearts, giddy for the day. Some of us groan and go along with the “hoopla” because, well if we didn’t we would be in the doghouse. And still others, would rather pretend the day didn’t exist. No matter how we feel about Valentine’s day, the fact that we desire to be known and loved, remains.
My thoughts on love and romance have evolved over the years. As a 21-year-old, I wasn’t necessarily looking for someone who would take the garbage out for me. Now at 50, I see it as an act of love.
Romance is a sentence in a paragraph. It’s not the whole story
Love is so much more than the sentimental feelings that can quickly slip away when life gets hard. In our 26 years of marriage, I have come to realize that the every day, less “Instagram worthy” moments of love are the real moments that matter. Our acts of service for each other often speak much louder than words alone.
Love looks like rough,
work stained hands,
walking Reegan to the bus
singing silly songs
with her.
Heads bent over homework,
praying before bedtime,
a meal prepared.
Searching for the lost kitty,
letting the pets come inside
because he knows
how I love them.
Working from early dawn
until the sun sets
in its brilliance.
Reading God’s word
to the family
Faithfully.
Encouraging dreams,
giving artistic freedom
and smiling at
ridiculous notions
realizing when
they become
clever ideas.
Forgiving when I’ve
been less than loving,
not holding my failures
against me for
long. Knowing who I
am and loving me
because and
in spite
of it.
When over the years someone has seen you at your worst, and knows you with all your strengths and flaws, yet commits him- or herself to you wholly, it is a consummate experience. To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.
Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage
