Greetings Prayer Warriors,
Driving along listening to the radio today, I was struck by
what I heard. “Love is an act of the
will.” Feelings come and feelings go,
but love must be willful, in spite of
the ebb and flow of our feelings.
It got me thinking, if I told my child to get ready for
school and they said, “I don’t feel like it!”, would I say, “No problem, you
can just stay home. Perhaps you best drop
out, because if you don’t feel like it, why bother?” If a friend decided they didn’t feel like showing up for work on a
continual basis, because they’d rather hang out with friends, would I support
their “feelings”? In both scenarios, I
would insist they power through and honor their commitment. Should it be any different if a married
couple doesn’t feel in love anymore?
There is great difficulty in doing the right thing when one’s
heart isn’t in it. But sometimes actions
precede feelings. Consider the runner who goes for the jog,
especially when not in the mood. Often,
euphoria follows.
Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart. 1 Peter 1:22
Take some time to pray for marriages, that when the feelings
ebb in the relationship, spouses still decide to willfully love.
I have competed well; I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
Willfully pass this on!
