We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
The other day, Scott came and sat next to me on the couch while I was writing. Sometimes the day can fly by without our actually having a real conversation. A real moment when we connect.
I slipped my hand into his and he squeezed it. I looked him in the eye and said, “I’m glad you are mine.” He said, “I’m glad you are mine.” And we meant it.
Those words hold some weight. We have been married almost two decades. Love tends to change and shift over the course of twenty years. My dad likes to say that “love” is an accordion word. It can mean anything and nothing. I love peanut butter. I love football. I love you. But that is because we see love as a feeling. Feelings are changeable. Love isn’t so much a feeling as it is a choice. We choose what we love. Or we choose not to love.
Some days I am great at loving Scott. Other days…not so much. But those choices shape our lives. How we love each other determines who we are and who we are becoming. At the beginning of time, Jesus chose to love us. He chooses the same choice over and over again each day. He loves us in spite of ourselves. And at some point in our history, we chose to love Him back when we decided to follow Him.
Some days we love Him really, really well. Other days…not so much. But the thing is, when we keep at it, when we choose to love Him and follow Him and obey Him, day in and day out, we get better at it because His love starts to rub off on us. His goodness. His mercy. His grace. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful that He chose to love me first.
Faith Step: Have a real conversation with Jesus. Tell Him how glad you are that He chose to love you and why you love Him so much.
