All this month I have been reading and meditating on the verse at the center of our gallery wall in our living room. I chose it and wrote it on the first of February {the month of love}. I’ve been pondering it all month. I walk by it and read the words many times a day.

Love.

We love because He first loved us. -1 John 4:19

I think about marriage. I think about my husband whom I love dearly. If I’m honest though, this love doesn’t always come naturally. Isn’t that the way it is when two sinners say “I Do?”

It’s hard. I mess up. He messes up. Sometimes we mess up together. But yet, everyday I choose to get up and love him. Love him because of who he is. Love him in spite of who he is. Love him.

We love because He first loved us. -1 John 4:19

This love  does not come from me. I mean, c’mon? This marriage stuff is hard. If it were dependent on my capacity to love, from my own strength, we would probably just end up being in the statistic of divorced couples. However, we have a greater purpose and goal in our marriage other than our temporal happiness.

I read this from John Piper reflecting on his forty years of marriage (This Momentary Marriage):

“Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It’s mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ’s covenant-keeping love on display.”

Love doesn’t always come naturally. Marriage isn’t mainly about being in love. Marriage isn’t about our happiness.

Marriage is hard. But, it is more than worth it. I have a partner in this life. We are committed to each. For better or worse. We are trying to help each other on our quest to be more holy. To be more Christ-like.

Our marriages paint pictures of the gospel to the world. What an honor!

However, this isn’t really something we can do from our own strength. We love not because we can. Not because we are good at it. Not because it comes easy.

We love because He first loved us. -1 John 4:19

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I received the Mr. and Mrs. Love Collection for the purpose of this review from DaySpring as part of their monthly (in)spired deal! p.s. My hubby and I love to drink our (almost) nightly tea from our mugs!