Loving for Real, for God

As stated in my bio below, I’m in an amazing, real, teenage relationship with my best friend. We text each other often, gross people out with our Facebook messages, drive my parents crazy with the telephone bill. We are real. We have, what I fully believe, is a God-given Love Story. Every good romantic tale has a twist. What’s ours? We live one hundred and fifty miles apart from each other.

I love Matt wholeheartedly. The distance doesn’t change that, it enhances it. However, it doesn’t always make for an overly happy me. I have often asked God why He would allow me to know Matt and keep me so far away from him. Doesn’t He know how it saddens me? As my Father, doesn’t He want me to be happy?

This is where I have to remind myself that I live for a Being that is bigger than me. God didn't design relationships (be it friendships, romantic relationships, marriages) to cater to our happy hearts, but to glorify Him. All He that does is to bring praise to His name.

Last July, I was simply tired with missing Matt. I began praying, telling God about my tired heart. Suddenly, I realized that if I were seeking God and met a couple of teenagers maintaining the relationship that we had, I would be inspired. I realized that I was learning how to Love like Jesus (and I’m still learning). I realized that we had an opportunity to show others God.  You, as well, have such an opportunity. 

We as teenagers (whom society has given negative labels) have a unique door being opened. We can rise above the low expectations we have hanging over our heads, taking our labels off. When we choose to stay pure, stay committed to a guy or girl, Love in a way that withstands hardships (being in a relationship that goes against the crowd), our lives are pointing back to God.

Honestly, the way I see it, if you’re in a relationship only to get happiness from a guy or a girl – you’re setting yourself up to fail. Your relationship won’t be strong, there won’t be three strands (Ecclesiastes 4:12). If glorifying God is all you try to get out of your relationship, you'll succeed, and the joy and Love between you and your other will grow and deepen and touch the lives of others.

Elisabeth