Step to True Love

1. LOVE REQUIRES YOU TO REVEAL YOUR TRUE SELF TO ANOTHER

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. “True love goes beyond the passion of romance and even finding a partner for the sake of being married.”

2. FINDING TRUE LOVE CAN BE DIFFICULT

“What makes love so hard, and sometimes painful, is the vulnerability that always seems to accompany it.”. True love goes beyond the passion of romance and even finding a partner for the sake of being married. While romance and having our needs met for provision and security are important, there is more that we must discover.

3. YOUR NEED FOR TRUE LOVE REVEALS YOUR NEED TO BE LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY

Marketers sell us the idea that if we were just a little bit more attractive, a little thinner, and a little better dressed, then someone would finally take notice and we would feel loved. But we do not. Culture pressures us to set aside our prudish reluctance and instead give-away our bodies; it promises us intimacy leads to love. But it does not.

“Honestly, true love has never really been about romance or passion at all. It is about truth and value. It is about vulnerability and acceptance.”

4. TRUE LOVE IS COMPLICATED BY OUR SELF-INTEREST

Let me tell you a secret that you probably know already but are not willing to admit. Unconditional love, the kind that pours meaning and significance into your life, is hard to find in another human being because we are all too self-interested and too self-motivated. Our hearts are bent toward protecting and promoting ourselves. It is not hard to see! We live in a culture that constantly measures every relationship by what we get out of it. We stay married only as long as it is benefiting us. We commit to a relationship only until something better comes along. The success of our relationships is measured by our need for love being met, instead of seeking to meet the need for true love in others.

5. THERE IS ONLY ONE SOURCE OF TRUE LOVE

Let us return to Leah’s story for a moment. Leah was caught up in the struggle to earn her husband’s love. Three sons later, she was still clinging to the hope that one day he would wake up and start to appreciate her. She kept waiting and waiting. Eventually, Leah gave birth to another son, her fourth. Leah named him Judah and announced, “Now I will praise God.” Judah’s name means something special. It means to praise, or be thankful to God. But, how could she praise God when her outward circumstances had not changed? Jacob did not rush home with a bouquet of roses and an apology card. Leah was no more loved now than she had ever been. But somehow, she was now worshiping and thanking God.

6. ACCEPTING JESUS’ LOVE OPENS THE DOOR TO A NEW LIFE

The good news of what Jesus has done for you is not just salvation from a coming apocalyptic destruction but accepting Jesus’ love, will begin to transform and fill your life with purpose, strength, and value. Like Leah, you will be amazed at the realization that you have discovered true love! You can thrive in the amazing joy of worshipping Him with a thankful and pure heart regardless of what is going on around you.

Your value and your identity is secured for all eternity with Jesus, who loves you so passionately that He gave His own life. When you understand that truth, it transforms the way you think about love. No longer is love solely a romantic relationship that meets your desperate need to find significance and value. You are able to approach every new relationship, already possessing a full grasp of your significance. Living in God’s love and following Him places you in a position of strength for you know, to whom you belong and who you are. You do not need love to prove your self-worth or value. God is yours and you are His.

7. YOUR SEARCH FOR TRUE LOVE BEGINS WITH THIS SIMPLE PRAYER

Your journey for true love and to be loved unconditionally begins with a simple prayer. Would you read and believe this prayer with me?

“God, right now I’m experiencing deep hurt and rejection. I realize that I have spent much of my life trying to find love and value in the wrong places. I don’t want to go on living like this. Forgive me for trying to find my own way. Forgive me for neglecting You. I thank you that even before I was aware of it, You were demonstrating Your love for me in Jesus’ death. I thank You that His death offers me a way to know You and to experience Your love. God, fill my heart with a sense of your love. Help me to realize that you are the source of my worth and value. I trust you with my life and my broken heart. Heal it. Help me to turn to you, and worship you. Amen.”