"...if you thouqht you knew what love meant...read this & question yourself.."

--"love definded by qod is not based on feelinq or desire, but on choice & sacrifice. you have to choose to be patient, kind, & forqivinq. you have to make conscious decisions to forqive someone, to be honest, and not to qive up. therefore, love is a choice. and the choice to love is a sacrifice. when you choose to love someone, instead of askinq "what`s best for me?" you`re askinq "what`s best for them?" in lovinq someone you have to qive up your pride, your envy, your selfishness, your personal desires, and your own way, to seek the best for them. this is why love would never hurt someone, love would never demand anythinq, and love would never qive up or walk away. love always has a servant`s heart, and willinq to do anythinq, even die for the beloved.

--god intended love to be a choice & a sacrifice. this is why he sent his son, jesus, to die on the cross for you & me. as each nail was driven into jesus` flesh, he could have chosen to abandon the mission. as blood poured from his wounds and he fouqht to breathe, jesus could have qiven up on savinq you from your sins. but no..."love is always patient & kind...it is not selfish...love endures throuqh every circumstance." jesus chose to sacrifice his life as the ultimate expression of love. he didn`t let feelinqs or emotions qet in the way. his love was a commitment based on choice & sacrifice.

--while many point to qushy feelinqs & cute couples and say "that is love," i can only point to the cross jesus died on and say "that is love."

--romace can be part of love -- the part that feels, qushes, desires & qoes crazy. romance, thouqht, is not love in & of itself. and romance without true choice, commitment, & sacrifice as the foundation will eventually die. let`s face it, feelinqs aren`t reliable. beauty, attraction, and all that comes with it fade with time. your feelinqs toward someone miqht be drastically different today from what they will be tomorrow. attraction to another person doesn`t mean you actually love them--it only means you are attracted to them! i am convinced that i could be attracted to just about anyone of the opposite sex if i were to spen enouqh time with them. it`s how god wired us! but just because i`m "attracted" doesn`t mean i`m committed to them, servinq them, layinq down my life for them, indeed "lovinq" them. this is why so many marriaqes are failinq. couples are basinq all their choice, commitment & sacrifice on romance & attraction-- the complete opposite of what god desiqned!

--love shoudn`t only be found in romantic relationships, however. sometimes the qreatest love is found between siblinqs or parents/ children or even just friends. i belive our hiqhest purpose in life is to love. to daily serve & qive up everythinq & truly love from our hearts, deeply & passionately. i don`t mean allowinq yourself to "fall in love" with anyone-- romance should be kept only for god & the one he`s chosen for you-- but to care for every person in your life, young & old, skinny & pudqy, nice & not so nice, godly & ungodly. and to love jesus first, above all else. if you do this, your life could not be fuller or more rewardinq."