Falling in love is the easy part. Staying in love through birthing children, going through miscarriages, becoming your elderly parent’s caregiver, going through bankruptcy, or raising a child with special needs, definitely test your love.
The pandemic alone has tested many marriages that ended up failing. Marriages are also tested when one spouse receives a bad diagnosis. Covid falls into this category for those who get hospitalized. . . the fear, uncertainty, and isolation have to be overwhelming.
Can you imagine not being able to visit the love of your life when their life is in the balance? My oldest daughter has a brother-in-law and sister-in-law navigating such a test. Upon returning from a family vacation in July, Roger complained of not being able to breathe. Rushed to the hospital, he quickly learned he had Covid-19.
Put on a ventilator and sent to Kansas City, Roger has fought to stay alive, had surgeries, and dealt with many complications. Seven months have passed, and he is still there.
Without Roger to run their family-owned business his parents started fifty plus years before, they were forced to sell. In spite of the surmounting responsibilities one must take care of when without an income, his wife managed to focus on her love for him.
Every day, his wife has driven to see him, even though his unemployment was denied. It fell through the cracks. Thankfully, his room is on the first floor so she sits in a 2-room tent outside his window. For hours, she writes notes on a board, or they watch their favorite programs together. Other times, family joins her to encourage their father and grandfather.
To maintain his insurance, a Go-fund-me page was set up. Regardless of their circumstances, her focus is on encouraging him, and being as close together as possible, until he returns home. I was delighted a Kansas City news station interviewed her. You can see it HERE if you wish.
So, what is love to you? This story defines love as dedication and devotion. The extreme amount of creativity and determination to sit outside a window in every temperature and weather condition imaginable is love on steroids. She can’t hear his voice, but is there to encourage her beloved.
Could you do the same? If we are Christians, we should be displaying a similar amount of dedication to our first love, Jesus Christ. He is worthy. Yes, we might have to work and tend to responsibilities, but we should be a reflection of His love every day.
How well do you love Jesus, or His creation called mankind? Here is a love test I created when teaching a Bible-study at church, and included in my last newsletter to my blog subscribers. Take a shot at it and see how you rank. Please note the “Love Challenge” at the end as well. Try one of them for 30 days, then retake this test and see if your score improved. Any better score is progress and worthy of shouting “Hallelujah”!
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE LOVE TEST
Love Challenge #1. Read 1 Cor. 13:4-7 every day for 30 days. One difference. Insert your own name where the word “love” is. Let it seep into your soul.
Love Challenge #2. From your test, depending on your time and desires, choose one, three, or all fifteen traits to work on. Totally focus on one a week ideally, at least 3 days if possible, or one day to start becoming mindful.
Share the love by sharing this post. If you liked it you may choose to leave a comment, make a donation, or hit reply to let me know what you thought. May we all grow to love others and ourselves better every day. Blessings.
© 2021, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
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