How It Is With Love

There is a precious story by Edward Monkton called A Lovely Love Story. It tells of two dinosaurs: a fierce one trapped in his cage of ice and a lovely one who smells nice and melts that cage with kind words and loving thoughts. While they are together they start to see the differences in each other. She has a free spirit, her mind skips around and she love to shop. He is tender, funny, clever, distant, peculiar and is overly fond of "things." They both decide to overlook their differences, because it's what makes him a "richly charactered individual" and because she "fills their life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises." They grow old together enjoying each other's stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs ... because that "is how it is with love."

It's a sweet story of how we may not be entirely sure how we fell in love in the first place, how vastly different we are and yet how much we compliment one another. It's a wonderful reminder that a marriage of a "fierce dinosaur" and a "lovely other dinosaur" is all about love, forgiveness and embracing the quirks of the other.

I am deeply in love with my husband. I grow more in love with him every single day. There is no doubt I love him a gazillion times more than I did when I first met him in 1983 ... and I loved him a lot then. The thought of being without him tears at my heart. He is the love of my life, my support, my best friend, my treasure. I am blessed and better in this life because God created him.

But we're so different. He loves sports. I love movies. He must have his coffee in the morning. I need chocolate every day. He has trouble hammering a nail. I can change an electrical outlet and replace a car headlight. He cares for people with a deep passion. I hate to cook. He will run for the endorphins. I love to shop. He remembers details of road trips. I like to take photos of everything. He never makes the bed. I hate to put clean clothes away.

But we both love the beach. We both love to watch TV together in our snuggle chair. We love to hike. We love to travel. We love to sing Christian music. We enjoy card games. We love reading. We take new adventures. We love to hold hands, hug, pray together, enjoy candlelight dinners and serving the Lord.

And somehow it all works.

We know how much you two couples love each other. It's deep and real, sweet and tender, challenged and supported. We've watched you and love how you love each other ... the idiosyncrasies and all. You will learn even more about each other the longer you are together. We pray that, like our love, yours will grow even more rapt, powerful, rich and deep-rooted. That you will delight in each other as long as you both shall live ... with the warmth of the sun on your backs.

Discussion: Have you read A Lovely Love Story? What do you love each other? What are some of your differences? What do you like to do together?

Prayer: Father, You formed each one of us in our mother's womb, creating us in Your image with our perticular gifts and personalities. And you brought us together, Father, we pray for Your glory. May we fall ever more and deeper in love with each other and with You. In Jesus, Amen.