(january 30th, 2016)

Love.

a four letter word that is so overused that it has lost all meaning.

When I think of Love, I think of God, I think of my parents & friends, I think of all the things that I cherish and hold deeply to myself. I think of the things that I couldn’t bear to live without. I wish more young people would see it that way.

You know what I’m talking about. Those teenagers saying “I love you” to their boyfriend of 2 days. they toss the noun around like it means nothing, then when they’re done using it with one person, they flip around & “i love you” the next.

It really bugs me that “love” is all that people seem to care about. It’s considered uncool and weird to NOT have had 12 boyfriends by the age of 13.  How is that considered cool?

why is it expected of teens to have a significant other? Why is my most heard question from relatives “do you have a boyfriend yet?”, and then getting laughed at when I say no? Why is it so unusual for a girl of my age NOT to have a boyfriend? I don’t get why it’s such a big deal.

when I see these teens on Instagram and other social media talking about how they’re gonna be together forever and all that, it confuses me. Because I know, and just witnessed this a few days ago, that this ‘forever’ they’re talking about is only going to last till’ Saturday. And yet here they are, two hours into a relationship, and practically naming their children together.  What’s the point of dating someone if you aren’t intending on taking it a step or two further? If you’re going to play around, at least wait on saying “i love you”.

Because it really will catch up with you. Not from experience am I saying this, but from memory of stories I have heard. Playing around with the term “love” will give you unrealistic expectations of what it actually is.  Then one day some guy will say “i love you”, and you will believe him. and you won’t catch if he’s lying or not.

then comes the heartbreak.

Why? Why play around then be heartbroken when something you expected to be real isn’t?

Instead of teaching girls that they need to have boyfriends by certain ages, we should teach them about true love. the kind of love that some people wait their whole lives to receive. A love that can make them become one with Jesus, and strengthen their walk with Christ.

We need to teach them to wait for it.

Wait for the one that God has set aside for you and you alone. Wait for the one that will devote his whole life to Christ before you. Wait for the one that will strengthen your relationship with God, not weaken it. Just wait.

because one day, God will send the one into your life, and it will make the wait worth it. Very worth it.  All you have to do is wait for God’s timing. It is perfect, He’s got it planned and will set it in motion when need be.

So that’s the advice I’m leaving on the table tonight. Wait for Him, and God will do it in His timing.

Song of Solomon 2:7

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field, do not arouse or awaken love until the timing is right.

Song of Solomon is the perfect chapter to go along with this post, so I refer you to that.

That’s all for tonight.

God Bless….

-Liv