One of my favorite books is written by Elisabeth Elliot called, "Passion and Purity." It is an absolutely amazing read...and I would assume it appeals to most of our hearts. My all time favorite part is a letter of advice she wrote to a man that would find Mrs. Right, "fall in love," then end it beacuse he couldn't keep up that feeling; the mushy, excited about you all the time, never wanting to spend a minute apart, thinking everything will always feel the same "in-love feeling."
She writes,
"About this business of falling out of love. Everybody does it, you know. Sometimes before theyu get married, but always afterwards. Modern folk simply bug out of the marriage then, if they feel no obligation to keep vows-vows made foolishly they believe. (Emphasis added.) There is something to be said for making an adult choice and sticking with it. 'Being in love,' wrote C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, 'is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are aslo many things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. (Emphasis added.) Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all...In fact, the state of being in love usually does not last...but of course ceasing to be "in love" need not mean ceasing to love. Love...is a deeo untiy, maintained by the will and deliberatley strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God....They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be "in love" with someone else. "Being in love" first moved them to promise fidelity; this quieter love enables them to keep their promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.'"
She then goes on about a few points and comes to a near end with something that I read over and over and over again.
"But if you're looking for some kind of feeling that will be consistent day in and day out, forget it. The kind of love that sustains a marriage is God given, but it is also a daily choice. For the rest of your life. Never forget that."
This a message we often don't seem to grasp and it's worth taking the time to. Think about it. :)
"Canvas is a bank piece of life. Waiting for someone to throw color and ambition on it. It waits anxiously for itself to come to life. Now is the time. Let the journey begin."
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