For the Long-Term

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Monday, June 29, 2009

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. - Psalm 51:10

If you're married, then you remember when you first met your wife or husband-to-be, and how you probably had the feeling of butterflies in your stomach and even a loss of appetite. You felt nervous when he or she was around. You wanted to make the best impression.

I hope you understand that those emotions aren't going to last throughout your entire marriage. I'm not saying that you won't have a deep, passionate love that will grow. But I am saying that I hope you're not expecting to always have the butterflies you once did.

It is kind of like driving a car. There is the love that brings you together, like an explosion that starts the engine. Next comes the actual driving of the car, which means that now you need to understand what real love is.

The problem is that some people don't understand that. They think that when that emotional excitement is not there on a daily basis, they have fallen out of love and it is not working out.

"I suppose we have irreconcilable differences," they say, "so let's just dissolve it." Then they move on to another relationship because they don't have a clue as to what real love is.

The idea is that first there is an excitement and passion that brings you together. Then you deepen and grow in what real love is.

In the same way, we need to mature in our relationship with God. It is more than a journey of feeling. It is also a journey of faith. So we must deepen in our love for God, because we are in it for the long-term. And we want to finish this race well.

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