romance

Okay, confession time. Don't judge me. I am a huge, sappy, cheesy romantic at heart. Whew! I said it. Somewhere in the middle of having a logical, economics brain, being in junior high (why do junior high students treat each other so horribly?) and one too many disappointments, I buried my sappy, cheesy romantic heart. It still pops up sometimes when I hear a great love story or listen to a great love song, but for the most part I have kept it firmly in check, "guarding my heart" because that's what we single girls are supposed to do, right?

But the fact is when I just get right down to it that "guarding my heart" just became a convenient excuse to avoid potentially painful situations. It is fear of being hurt, fear of being overlooked, fear of never having anyone look at me "that way" that has kept me from embracing the romantic part of my heart. That's a problem because perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). And I have perfect love. God's love is perfect, whole, complete, pure, and abundant in a way that no one else's love ever can be.

I have the only perfect love that has ever existed, so anywhere there is fear in my life is just somewhere that I need His perfect love to come in and cast out that fear. So that's what I have been asking for. I have been asking to have a heart that trusts Him so completely that I let go of fear because I know that He's got me. He holds my heart in His hand and that is where it will always stay. Even when He does give me my own great love story, my heart will still be first and foremost, always wholly and completely His. It is in this place of safety and security, this place of trust in Him that I am able to lay aside my fears and embrace the romance all around me.

The cool thing is that I think God is a huge, sappy, cheesy romantic as well. You can't read the Bible for long without coming across some amazing love stories. The entire book of Song of Solomon is a love poem. And of course, everywhere you read in scripture God's love is pouring out. The entire gospel story is a story of God going above and beyond, seeking to win the hearts and love of His people.

I think that romance is actually an incredible gift from God to us because romance defies logic. Romance is a matter of the heart, and the heart is a great asset because a heart surrendered to God changes the world. Romance makes us look at the world differently, just look in the eyes of a newly engaged woman and tell me that isn't true. Romance points us back to the heart of the Creator, who longs to have our hearts poured out before Him. That is why I am embracing romance, not shying away from those love songs and stories, but rather looking with fresh eyes at the world around me. 

For once, I am allowing the poet's heart within me to bask in the glories of the beauty, grandeur, and mystery of romance instead of allowing my economics brain to get its way all the time. I am choosing to step away from my fears and trust in the One who came up with romance in the first place. 

Clarification: I am not saying that we shouldn't guard our hearts. Guarding your heart is Biblical (Proverbs 4:23). I am also not saying that we should always trust our hearts because the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). I am not saying that we shouldn't use our minds. I am saying that we shouldn't disqualify romance and that just like the mind the heart is a powerful thing. 

Comments

  1. sarah {on the brightside...}17 October, 2012

    Beautiful! It is a gift to know God's perfect love above all others! And without His love, all other loves are just not as good as they could be. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hannah Elizabeth18 October, 2012

    I haven't told you this, but when I talk about you to my friends here, usually the first thing I say is..."seriously, she's going to be the best wife I've ever met. I cannot wait to see her love story because it's going to be amazing."

    I pray for you and your husband whenever I think to (which isn't as often as it should be, but alas, I am trying to get better.)

    I love you so much and your ooey gooey romantic heart. MWAH!

    ReplyDelete

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