Is this Love that I’m Feeling?
I have been asked the question, “How do you know who is the
one your soul mate, your other half, the person who completes you, the one
you are meant to be together with for the rest of your life?”
Well, although it is very hard to know who is “the one,” it is
easier to know who is “not the one.” We must have a clear idea in our heads of
what traits we just cannot accept in that person whom we could potentially fall
in love with. We must know the “absolute nos.” We must have criteria for what
characteristics are just not acceptable to us, but we need to be realistic and
honest with ourselves. For example, for some, it might be a person who:
Ø Is aggressive or shows any kind of harsh behavior toward us or toward
other people
Ø Drinks too much, does drugs and/or frequently gets into trouble
Ø Cheats or refers to the opposite sex in a disrespectful manner
Ø Is too much of a flirt with other people
Ø Treats us badly in front of others or humiliates us
Ø Only tells us our defects,
frequently trying to put us down
Ø Lies
Ø Has major psychological problems
Ø Has no values: steals, breaks the law, deals drugs, engages in
extramarital sex, etc.
Ø Is not physically attractive to us
Ø Is very different in cultural background, social background, economic
status, etc.
Ø Practices a different religion or has no belief in God
Ø Has priorities very different from ours
Ø Makes his job his main priority
Ø Wants attention at any cost
Ø Humiliates and disrespects others
Ø Annoys us often
This is not discriminating against anyone or being prejudiced
against someone. We can have someone as a friend, we can be there if that
person needs us, but we can decide not to date that person. If we find things
about a person that we feel we cannot live with, and we do not want to deal
with such things in a long-term relationship or even for the rest of
our lives then we must try to avoid a situation
that could bring us to the point of no return.
It is not a good idea to get into a relationship, especially
a marriage, thinking that we are going to change the other person. Before a
relationship starts, before we make a decision that might affect the rest of
our lives and the lives of those people around us, we need to discern if this
is a person we want to date or not.
There is nothing wrong
with knowing what we can tolerate and what we cannot tolerate in someone who
could become our spouse, nothing wrong with knowing what we can live with and
what we cannot. We need to determine how much we can compromise in a particular
area and in what areas we just cannot compromise. From the beginning, we need
truthfulness, with ourselves and with others. If we are not honest, we are
setting ourselves up for failure and unhappiness. No honesty no success.
At the same time though, we need to be open
and have faith. We have to be careful and make sure we are not trying to limit God. A humble heart goes a long way! We
need to understand that we do not know everything and that God by His love and
grace can change anyone. So we need to
leave room to the possibility that maybe we do not know what is best for us, or
who is best for us. We need to trust God
completely and know that He can change anyone including us, and that He has a
perfect plan and purpose for our lives although we might not completely see it
or understand it at different points in our lives. If we limit ourselves by a set list of
qualities, especially when that list includes physical attributes or certain
personality traits like: funny,
outgoing, cool, upbeat or so many other things. Then we need to ask ourselves -
am I really trusting that God knows better?
Do I trust that nothing is impossible for God? Everything is possible for those who hope in the Lord!
Wisdom to contemplate:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not
pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own
interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not
rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.”
(Romans 12:9)
I have been asked the question, “How do you know who is the
one your soul mate, your other half, the person who completes you, the one
you are meant to be together with for the rest of your life?”
Well, although it is very hard to know who is “the one,” it is
easier to know who is “not the one.” We must have a clear idea in our heads of
what traits we just cannot accept in that person whom we could potentially fall
in love with. We must know the “absolute nos.” We must have criteria for what
characteristics are just not acceptable to us, but we need to be realistic and
honest with ourselves. For example, for some, it might be a person who:
Ø Is aggressive or shows any kind of harsh behavior toward us or toward
other people
Ø Drinks too much, does drugs and/or frequently gets into trouble
Ø Cheats or refers to the opposite sex in a disrespectful manner
Ø Is too much of a flirt with other people
Ø Treats us badly in front of others or humiliates us
Ø Only tells us our defects,
frequently trying to put us down
Ø Lies
Ø Has major psychological problems
Ø Has no values: steals, breaks the law, deals drugs, engages in
extramarital sex, etc.
Ø Is not physically attractive to us
Ø Is very different in cultural background, social background, economic
status, etc.
Ø Practices a different religion or has no belief in God
Ø Has priorities very different from ours
Ø Makes his job his main priority
Ø Wants attention at any cost
Ø Humiliates and disrespects others
Ø Annoys us often
This is not discriminating against anyone or being prejudiced
against someone. We can have someone as a friend, we can be there if that
person needs us, but we can decide not to date that person. If we find things
about a person that we feel we cannot live with, and we do not want to deal
with such things in a long-term relationship or even for the rest of
our lives then we must try to avoid a situation
that could bring us to the point of no return.
It is not a good idea to get into a relationship, especially
a marriage, thinking that we are going to change the other person. Before a
relationship starts, before we make a decision that might affect the rest of
our lives and the lives of those people around us, we need to discern if this
is a person we want to date or not.
There is nothing wrong
with knowing what we can tolerate and what we cannot tolerate in someone who
could become our spouse, nothing wrong with knowing what we can live with and
what we cannot. We need to determine how much we can compromise in a particular
area and in what areas we just cannot compromise. From the beginning, we need
truthfulness, with ourselves and with others. If we are not honest, we are
setting ourselves up for failure and unhappiness. No honesty no success.
At the same time though, we need to be open
and have faith. We have to be careful and make sure we are not trying to limit God. A humble heart goes a long way! We
need to understand that we do not know everything and that God by His love and
grace can change anyone. So we need to
leave room to the possibility that maybe we do not know what is best for us, or
who is best for us. We need to trust God
completely and know that He can change anyone including us, and that He has a
perfect plan and purpose for our lives although we might not completely see it
or understand it at different points in our lives. If we limit ourselves by a set list of
qualities, especially when that list includes physical attributes or certain
personality traits like: funny,
outgoing, cool, upbeat or so many other things. Then we need to ask ourselves -
am I really trusting that God knows better?
Do I trust that nothing is impossible for God? Everything is possible for those who hope in the Lord!
Wisdom to contemplate:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not
pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own
interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not
rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.”
(Romans 12:9)