Are You Ready for Love?

The following was found in an email issued by Jill Savage, Founder of Hearts at Home. This is a unique approach to understanding what true love is:

Immature love is a noun. A thing we long for. A feeling. An expectation of what someone will do for us.

Mature love is verb. An action we take. A decision. A choice to do something for someone else.

Unfortunately too many of us have yet to mature in our love, and our relationships bear the scars of that fact. But it's never too late to grow up. If we want our love to last a lifetime, we can't afford to keep believing that love is a noun. The feeling of love is short-lived. We have to transition to understanding that long-lasting love is really a verb.

* Love as a noun feels despair when you no longer feel "in love" with the person you are married to
* Love as a verb understands the ebb and flow of feelings. It focuses more on expressing love than feeling love.

* Love as a noun demands its own way.
* Love as a verb works to understand differences and is open to new ways of doing things.

* Love as a noun finds faults in others.
* Love as a verb gives grace and forgiveness.

* Love as a noun expects others to serve them.
* Love as a verb serves freely.

* Love as a noun expects to always feel warm and fuzzy and "in love."
* Love as a verb realizes that often we have to choose to love even when we don't feel like it.

~ Linda
Cache' Connections