And then, there is Jesus.
If there was ever a man to fall head-over-heels in love with, it's Christ, first and foremost. It is so SAFE and BEAUTIFUL to give all of ourselves to Him! He is the ultimate Lover, gracious, kind, giving, attentive, courteous, strong, forever seeking, forever loving. Why does it surprise women that we are not satisfied by anything less than a man who imitates Him? Everything in our soul cries out for the love of Christ, for the love of the God and Man who laid His life down to rescue us. Our hearts pine and yearn and thirst for this kind of love - self-sacrificial, whole, complete and beautiful. The Passion and Death of Our Lord, who died for us, serves as a fitting testament to the depth of this love. How could we stand for anything less, when we have already tasted the sweetest of the fruits of love?
So many women feel the loneliness, shame, and heartbreak that comes from wounds and attachments they have suffered in relationships. Women fight to discover that love they have searched for so ardently, the one that they pray for with their whole beings. Yet, our battle is counterproductive: seeking rather than allowing ourselves to be sought, trying to discover love in men rather than men in love, making plans rather than letting God take care of it. What a silly way to go about letting God direct our lives, and what a silly way to let Him bring to us the man He has kept for us all this time!
To take a valuable lesson from the Song of Songs, "I adjure you, do not arouse, do not stir up love before its own time." The only love that can ever fully satisfy our hearts is that of Christ, who teaches us how to be TRUE women of God. As women, we crave respect, fidelity, attention - someone to confirm our hope that we are precious, beautiful, worth seeking. Rather than seeking that love among men, it is our job to discover the seeking love of Christ. He pursues us day and night, moment by moment, hoping He will win our hearts and our undying love. He has been burning with this love for us, waiting for us to answer His Call all along - the passion of a lifetime is the romance of Christ!
The best romantic movies, to me, are the ones where the female half of a pair of long-time friends suddenly discovers that the male friend has always had feelings for her. The woman is often surprised (although the audience often is not...) that this man could care about her like that. And she often ends up making a decision to go for another man, which she later rescinds in favor of this lovestruck best friend. She realizes in the end that true love is something we are given, often something that is right under our nose. It is not something that we can make ourselves. We can't treat our love life like a cookie recipe for true love - take one guy, make sure he fits certain standards, add in two parts romance, one part emotional attachment, one part attraction, and a touch of idealism... It simply doesn't work. Real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime, is something we are offered, something we are given freely and fully. Real love is a man conforming to the Will and grace offered by God. Real love is something that requires no convincing, no solicitation - just a patient, womanly heart that is willing to wait in silence.
I find Christ completely analogous to that lovestruck best friend. Christ has been my best friend for so long, and knows everything about me. He was there when we were kids, growing up together. He knows my every thought, what makes me laugh and what makes me cry. He knows all my secrets, my passions, my longings, the wounds from my past. He has loved me the whole time He has known me, in the hope that one day I might feel the same way for Him, always thinking of how He will win me over, how He can do what is best for me. He has been pursuing me my entire life, sending roses, birthday presents, and "I love you's" in the form of beautiful silences filled with peacefulness, joy and happiness that carries over to others, grace-filled friends, an amazing family, moments of sadness, moments of wonder, moments of confusion and pain, and moments of clarity. All of it is a calling to share our hearts with Christ, because His love for us never yields, and always seeks our love in return.
With a love like that, how can we feel anything but blessed, even in the darkest of times? And, when that "right one" comes along, shouldn't we expect nothing less than the best? After all, He has loved us with an everlasting love, and He is the one who will bring us that special someone to love us completely with His own love.
In the Love of Christ through Mary,
Christina :)
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