True Love

I know that this is a cliché reading for weddings, but it really soothes my heart to know that all these things are true, and this is one that may work for you, but is acutely necessary for me at this point in my life:

From the New American Bible 13:4-8

"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

But then there is this from Proverbs Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

"When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and works with loving hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward for her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates."

And I worry about the love that I feel, and whether it may just be fleeting like beauty, or that I am deceived by charm. I think we all want to believe that we are truly loved, and this I do, only that I have always kept a piece of my heart back, this world too often seems to come back and throw things in our face when we really devote ourselves to them and want them badly. I have found few things in life that I wanted to pursue to the ends of the earth, or at least to the end of my life, but I am learning that they are out there. If there was ever any doubt in my heart before that true love exists, that doubt is no long gone...I have seen the city and its inner workings, have felt its work within me, and have seen how glorious it can make dreary day, and how work turns into the conquer of a dragon for the heart of the princess.

Everything takes on more gravity, not the least of which is the relationship itself, which constantly moves itself deeper and deeper unto destinations uncertain and unknown. All that one can do is follow and trust that there is a reason for all of this, and in time it will become clear, and life will begin to make a bit more sense as we would cast ourselves with seeming senselessness headlong into the vocation of life. For it is in losing our lives, or giving them up for others, that we truly find them, and in sharing love that we understand the true and deepest gifts that God has to offer us in his gift of Love to the world.

Would that we would all follow God along the path of our lives, chasing our dreams and pursuing our passions, and always keeping an eye open for the doors and windows that open before us, for it is not us who open them, but rather our God and Creator who loves us dearly and wants what's best for our lives. Live the moment for Him, and the future will figure itself out between Him and the workings of this crazy world where we make our temporal home.