If Everything Is Given, What Will Endure?

Good Morning, Beautiful.

Love is not just an action; it is purposeful.

Recently, I was reading Matthew 14 but verse 23 stood out to me which says, "After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone."

This verse reminded me that true love is not an act. True love is a sacrifice. This month alone, you are going to see a lot of acts, but I feel that it is important to remind you that what you will lay witness to is not always a true representation of love.

Love that is shown does not mean that it is love that is submitted. Everything that God is doing in your life is teaching you how to love correctly, because when you know the correct standard of love, you won't be so easily fooled by love that is not surrendered.

Don't let this month remind you of your loneliness; instead, let it empower you to do the real work that will last—healing.

Sincerly

Your Friend

A Moment to Reflect

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

1 Corinthians 13 is a corrective moment that calls believers to reevaluate which gifts are truly “greater.”¹

Let’s evaluate together. I encourage you to take off your rose-colored glasses and, just for a moment, truly think about what it means to be human. In this life, we must endure setbacks, losses, death, heartbreak, mental and physical illness, disappointments, natural disasters, and trauma. Life has its ups and downs, and whether you are a believer or not, none of us are exempt from it happening.

The difference in how you overcome is the presence of love in your life. True love is not something we can create in a lab, nor is it something you can buy. It is taught, and it is only truly sustained in God. Love says, “My natural inclination is not to do it—but I will.”

Because of sin, our flesh is not programmed to wait, submit, surrender, or be selfless. The act of love is not merely in what we do, but in whose authority we operate under. Love is meekness, and meekness is the ability to work under proper authority.

To desire healthy love, you have to know it and live it out yourself. This month will come with challenges, so I ask you to be kind to yourself.

You may long for romantic love, and it is natural to want to be cherished and pursued. But I encourage you to ask yourself: “If all the outward signs of love were removed, would I still recognize it?”

Whispers Between You and God

Today, allow yourself to feel what you feel. Reflect on why you feel it and what it reveals about your heart. Love is not a chase or a momentary rush; it is a process that matures, strengthens, and refines you.

Your person is coming, and in the meantime, I encourage you to pray that God teaches him a love that is surrendered and submitted.

References

1. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (InterVarsity Press).

To the one waiting on God....

For more guidance on aligning your heart with God in your season of singleness, my book, Good Morning, Beautiful, is a devotional study that guides you in discovering how Jesus—the true standard of love—meets you, prioritizes you, and shapes your identity right where you are.

Learn More