I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. (Philippians 1:9)
Week 5, Day 5
I lectured at a local high school on love, romance, and sex. I followed this by a question-and-answer period.
One curly-haired fellow raised his hand and said, “I really love this girl, but how long will our love last?”
Several around him snickered, but I thought he asked a good question. I replied, “As long as you keep growing together.”
A significant quality of true love relationships involves mutual growth. I am not the kind of lover today that I was yesterday or even a week ago. If my love is healthy and maturing, Shirley and I grow closer together; we are both becoming better people and stronger Christians.
When couples come to me for premarital counseling, one thing I urge is, “Find activities in which you both can be involved.” A local congregation is one of the best places where Christian couples can become friends of the same group of people. Other ways to keep growing include common hobbies and common forms of recreation.
I think of other ways for lovers to grow. One of them is to affirm each other. I don’t intend this as a gimmick, because I think appreciating and complimenting come naturally if we think about it. Every time I write an article for publication, Shirley reads over my shoulder and makes final suggestions before the last typing of the manuscript. The other day she was reading through the first part of this book of devotions. When she finished one she smiled, closed her eyes, and said, “Cec, that was beautiful.” She affirmed me. By her affirmation of me I believe we both grew.
The young man in high school asked how long a love would survive. The Apostle Paul answered that question in 1 Corinthians 13 when he wrote that love never ends.
The final thing I want to say here about growing in love is that we grow as we spend time together with God. It isn’t just going to church together. There’s a special quality that emerges between couples who pray together, read the Bible together, and search for a closer walk with Jesus Christ together.
God of all the earth, help the two of us to grow together. And may our love never end, just as we know that our love for you will only get better. Amen.