What is True Love?

I've done some marriage counseling and pre-marriage counseling during my career as a full-time minister of the gospel. Relationships crumble when one of both parents focus solely on self and stops being considerate of the other. I hope that when one spouse tells the other, "I love you" that love is defined by the Bible's definition of love. 1 Cor. 13:4-8, 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious of boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

Let me share with you an article I read in the Atlanta Church bulletin from an unknown author: It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am when an elderly man in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry because he had a 9:00 am appointment. The nurse took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before he could be seen by the doctor.

The nurse noticed him looking at his watch and decided, since, she was not busy with another patient, to evaluate his wound. On exam it was healed, so she spoke to the doctor, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redressed his wound.

While redressing his wound, they engaged in conversation. She asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, if that was the reason he was in a hurry. The man told her no, but needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. She inquired about her health. He told her that his wife had been there for a while and that she is suffering from Alzheimer's.

As they continued their conversation while tending to his needs, the nurse asked the man if his wife would be worried if he was late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was; she hadn't recognized him for five years now. The nurse was surprised and asked her patient, "and you still go every morning even thought she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled and patted the nurse's hand and said, "she doesn't know me, but I still know who she is." The nurse could hardly hold back her tears as he left the clinic. She had goose bumps on her arms and thought to her self, " That's the kind of love I want in my life!"

True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be and cannot ever be again on this side of eternity. If we will learn and practice the principles of true love, then we could put the marriage counselors and the divorce lawyers out of business.