Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)
Relationships that are worth it take work. Hollywood shows relationships that tangle over an argument and then kiss and make up to live happily ever after. But is that reality? Truthfully, it doesn’t happen quite that easily!
I remember watching a good romantic movie with Sally one time. In the space of a minute they got married, had one kid, then another kid and seconds later were vacationing. I said to Sally, “They just bypassed about seven really tough years!”
Now, love and romance are exciting and precious, but please don’t envision that a marriage is always struggle-free. Maybe you’ve heard someone frustrated say, “Well, it shouldn’t be this much work.”
How much work did Jesus do in His love for us? Did He just ride in on a beautiful horse and “Poof!” everything was instantly perfect and wonderful? Or did He come as a baby, live through over thirty years in a human body, then suffer and die after being whipped, beaten and nailed to a cross? Jesus worked for the relationship that we have with Him. He chose actions over feelings and demonstrated His love for us.
In fact, what’s even more amazing is that Jesus did the work and sacrificed for people who may never even choose to love Him back! And guess what? He still decided it was worth it.
Real love is found in Christ’s example. It’s in the beautiful moments but also the hard seasons, tough decisions and trenches of life that love chooses to keep working through. Yes, both parties need to work at it, but even though it’s work, it’s so worth it!
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