Intentional Love

A few years ago, I found out that my ex-wife was in love with another guy that I knew. There had been so many warning signs when we were married. Everything felt off. We had become roommates, and not happy ones. I was made to feel like I was the crazy one, that I was overanalyzing everything, and that nothing I was saying was true.

Sometimes the truth puts you on an island, but that doesn't make you wrong.

Our society has become far too comfortable with spreading lies.

As Christians, we know the Truth, and He has set us free. His name is Jesus. We know who the father of lies is, and that is our enemy, the devil.

When it boils down to it, we only have two choices. We can choose the truth, or we can choose the lie.

When I found out about this other guy, man, did I want to choose the lie. I wanted to run away, be angry, start a war, make her pay, prove that I was right, and have my victory because I was wronged and deserved to be financially rewarded.

However, the Holy Spirit showed me the Truth. I can choose not to run away. I can choose to forgive. I can choose peace. I can know I am right without requiring others to acknowledge it. Christ is my victory and my reward.

Ultimately, I can choose to wield the light, or I can choose to wield the darkness.

So when she came over, I said, "I wanted to pray with you." I put my hand on her shoulder and said something like, "Jesus, this is not what I want for our family, but in Jesus' name, I forgive you, and I choose peace."

And just like that, I was no longer upset.

It made no sense! I should be! But I wasn't. I had prayed for peace, and I had received it immediately.

Because I chose to intentionally love, even when I did not feel like it, God rewarded me with inner peace.

When you are a twenty-something getting married, there are so many things that we don't think about: work stress, life stress, and everything else that comes with adulthood.

At almost every wedding, this Bible verse is read:

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not pompous (self-important). Love is not inflated. Love is not rude. Love doesn't seek out its own interests. Love isn't quick-tempered. Love doesn't brood over injury. Love doesn't rejoice over wrongdoing.

Love rejoices with the Truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things.

We don't often think about divorce being the "all thing" that love can survive.

But God is love, and love can survive these things. You just have to choose Him intentionally.

Fast forward to today, and we have a new kind of love between us: the love of a great friendship and the mutual love of our kid.

We are making sure that our kid knows God and (true) Love.

Amen!