Growing In Love

Our family is privileged to live in a house which has a fairly spacious lounge area.

There are a few sofas and it get really cosy and snug even though it’s spacious. I love spending time there with my children and my wife. Sometimes I love it when it’s just my wife and I. Recently it was just the two of us having a few precious moments to relax and just enjoy each other’s company.

As we did so we reflected on our relationship. There is nothing about our story that reads like a great romantic thriller. I don’t expect a romcom to be made of how Authrine and I got together. And that is cool with us. What we can say about our relationship over the years is that it is one that is marked by growing in love with each other.

It’s a pity that so many are chasing the feeling of ‘falling in love’. It’s a pity because there’s something even better than falling and that’s growing. Looking around at others it is sad that folks are looking for an intangible ‘it’ factor to spark a relationship. People are chasing some mystical chemistry happening that will seal the deal and confirm how the two were meant to be.

The pity is, in all the chasing, there are some unspectacular elements of love that continues to make relationships work and work well. These elements are ones that you practice regularly and intentionally and as you do so it is remarkable what happens to your appreciation of the other and the desire to continue to serve and support them.

The reality is, as we know in relationships of all kinds, these relationships are not sustained and developed because of a mutual chase for chemistry or a desire to fall anywhere. They are strengthened by things like taking time to hear the other, giving space for the other to express or not as they feel, the effort given in contributing something to the other that really meets a need.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the ‘attraction’ and ‘love at first sight’ deal works for some and is real for some. What I am suggesting again is that to really enjoy the fruit of the relationships that are gifts from God, it’s good to work on seeing what can help it grow.

Sure there won’t be any Sleepless in Stoke-on-Trent romcom to depict the love between Authrine and I, but she means so much to me just because she makes it beautiful watching how we can grow in love together.

(Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden