“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
— 2 Corinthians 6:14
Book in hand, Brittany flopped down on her bed and rolled onto her stomach. Riley slouched deeper in a comfy chair nearby. It was fun being together again. When they were younger, they had gone to the same school and had been close friends. Then, two years ago, the boundary lines changed, putting them in different schools, even though they still lived near each other.
Now, Riley leaned forward. “Is that your sister’s book about dating?”
Brittany flipped pages. “Yup. Here’s where we left off.” She began reading aloud. “Love isn’t something that just happens. You choose whom you love or don’t love.”
Riley stopped her. “Just a minute. What does that mean?”
“Let me finish,” Brittany kept reading. “Some people say, ‘I fell in love. I just couldn’t help myself. But — ’ ”
Again Riley interrupted. “That’s true. I do fall in love. If I like a boy, I like him. And right now I like Todd. What’s so bad about that?”
“What’s good about it?” Brittany’s blue eyes met Riley’s brown ones. Brittany had never liked Todd because of the way he acted. More than once, the two girls had talked about how he treated others.
Brittany went back to the book. “Some people say, ‘I fell in love. I just couldn’t help myself.’ But early in every relationship there’s a moment of choice, whether we think about it or not. We decide, ‘I’m not interested in that boy as more than just a friend.’ Or we tell ourselves, ‘I like that boy. I hope he becomes my boyfriend.’ ”
“That’s true,” Riley said. “I decide, all right. When I meet a boy, I know real soon if he’s the one for me. I don’t know why my mom won’t let me start dating.”
“But you’re missing the whole point of the book,” Brittany said. “We can know a lot of people and be nice to them. But the book says there are times when we should choose not to date someone — especially someone we feel romantic about. We can wind up getting hurt. Not all guys treat girls well.”
Brittany is right. Love is a choice, whether you decide to love your little sister even when she’s annoying or be kind to a friend even after she has hurt you. Love isn’t just a feeling. If you do decide to love a special guy someday, make sure he’s one who loves the Lord.
More to Explore: 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7
Girl Talk: What is a time when you decided to love someone even though you didn’t feel like it?
God Talk: “Dear God, it seems a long way off, but someday I might find a guy I want to marry. If that happens, help me to choose a man who loves you with all his heart. Amen.”
From Girl Talk by Lois Walfrid Johnson