Before You Awaken Love

BEFORE YOU AWAKEN LOVE The Book of Song of Solomon says “Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time.” I believe that King Solomon wrote this with a deeper message, especially for every young woman. It’s every women’s dream to fall in love with someone, who is fun, handsome, to grow old with that someone, and to build a happy family. Indeed, it’s also God’s great plan for each of us, but it takes time. Awakening love at the wrong time causes toxic and unhealthy relationships which are so rampant nowadays. In many of the social media sites I joined, every day there were more than four young women who shared their stories about their toxic relationship with their partner. Heartache, pre-marital practices became normal without thinking that it could produce offspring, teenage pregnancy, single-parenting became a norm wherein children also suffer. King Solomon elaborated that love is as strong as death if you cannot control it, it can kill you within because the heart is deceitful above all. He knew that it was very important to wait and to trust the process and find satisfaction in God, because if not, we will look for love, validation, and acceptance in people, a recipe for trouble. Here are a few steps we should take to avoid any said trouble and be prepared until the appropriate time. 1. FALL IN LOVE WITH THE AUTHOR OF LOVE FIRST – The author of love is none other than Jesus. The Bible tells us a lot of stories of Christ wherein He manifested His love for us. I remember the article of Maggie Cooper about falling in love with Jesus, where she shared her experience of asking a group of women about what they looked for most in a Husband when they were in their 20’s, and second, what they appreciate most about their spouses now that they are in their 40’s. and their answer was, In their 20’s they hoped to fall in love with someone fun, loved to laugh with them, was handsome, a companion and lover. and here’s their answer to the second question. They would now tell young women to look for someone who will be a provider, a helper, a communicator, a listener who “gets them,” one to make them feel loved, and someone to keep them in line, those are the things they treasure most in their spouses now. These women want more than a feeling. They want a personal, known, practical, intimate love. And while their spouses give them that in an earthly capacity, Only Jesus can provide all of those things consistently, without fail, forever. In an earthly relationship, we need to wait for the proper time to fall in love so that we could avoid trouble. But with Jesus, He’s already there, He is available just waiting for you to reach out to Him and to experience a greater love than you could ever imagine. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He meets us where we are. He is all the love that we ever need, His love for you will never change. Don’t settle for imperfect earthly love alone. There is a love so deep and wide and joyful and peaceful and sure we can’t imagine it. Don’t reject God. Dig in his word, Pray, ask Him to reveal Himself fully to you and stay close to Him. 2. KNOW YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - Your identity in Christ is not based on education, economic worth, or social status, but your relationship with Him. You can fully understand your identity and value if you are close to God, In His eyes, you are loved, you are chosen, you are redeemed and you are adopted. You were created with a purpose as to what Psalm 139:14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. Fearfully means He was afraid to make any mistake, He knit you and lovingly designed every detail of your person, you were created uniquely so that you will end up wonderful in his eyes. When He looks at you, He calls you forgiven, that’s why you do not have to define or see yourself based on your past mistakes. He does not see a former sinner, but a new creation that has been made whole. You are his child who bears His name and nobody can take that away from you. You are His Princess, you are beautiful See, How He values you? What makes you think you are worthless? that you are unlovable? He is so in love with you even to the extent of Him having to die on the cross just to rescue you. That’s why don’t settle for anything or anyone less than what He has prepared for you in the future. 3. BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF- The first two steps are very vital to developing the best version of yourself, it’s about loving yourself, of course, it also includes finishing your studies, making your Mama and Papa proud, choosing the job that you love, learning new skills, develop your mind, your body, your talents, your passions, your ambitions, your goals, and your dreams. Add more value to yourself, and never lower your standards for those who don’t want to raise theirs. One of the best pieces of advice for every woman that I had read before was, to love yourself 100%, because if you love and value yourself fully a man in your life will exert an effort to go beyond that, but if you only value and love yourself 40,50,60%, what makes you think he’ll go beyond that? Does it make sense? Your future self will thank you for doing the right thing. And this is not just for your own benefit, but you are also doing it for your future spouse and for your future family. The second biggest decision in every woman’s life is to choose who to marry? So be careful Isaiah 60:22 says "When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen." Trust the `process, Give the Pen to God, He is the author of every best love story. Believe that He knows what He is doing and you’ll never go wrong. A women’s heart should be so hidden in God, that a man has to seek Him first, just to find her. Remember that you are not just a woman, but you are a Woman.

• Metro Manila, Philippines

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