Love’s Twin

Meet Truth.

Like twins, Love and Truth are closely related and completely different. Neither is above or below the other. They are equals and, most importantly, you cannot have one without the other.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

For example, what is love without truth? It is all the hidden agendas people experience in the dating world.

And what is truth without love? Simply a form of meanness that callously tears relationships apart.  

Now I can predict that many of you may be thinking back to your own dating experiences or your last fight with a loved one when someone decided to get “real honest.” You thought love drew you together once upon a time, but now you are not so sure.

Let me put your mind at ease.

Remember I told you that love existed outside of you before it really came into you? That love was a decision made for you. That love chose you. It wanted and still wants your best. What’s more, that love made a decision for the one you chose to date, or marry, or live with, whatever the circumstances.

How do I know this?

Because it was a decision that occurred before you and that other person were born, but specifically with you each in mind. God knows you both, specifically, apart from everyone else who has ever lived, and chose to love you both for his own good reasons. Furthermore, his choice to love you has nothing to do with your decisions or actions because, again, it was made long ago. God’s choice to love preceded all the messiness of this world (yours included) and it resulted in a plan to draw into his love those who would accept his offer.

Remember, love never forces anyone else to love in return.

So, what does this have to do with your messy dating past, your questionable choice in life partners, and the frequent fights you are embroiled in right now?

Simply this, God’s love was, still is, and will always be operational, doing the work God pleases. Your life, with all of its messiness, is redeemable.

How?

By first choosing to love God back.

Forget trying to figure out what all this might mean, because you can’t know anymore than a bride or groom knows what life will be like even on the next day. True Love is always emersion.

And do you know, when it comes to romantic relationships, when love really shows up?

Just after the truth arrives, when the makeup comes off, when the bad breath is exhaled, when the toothpaste is squeezed in the middle, and the toilet seat and toilet paper are up when they should be down or down when they should be up. This is when true love enters the picture.

Why?

Because it’s real work is to cover a boatload of messiness.

So, when the two lovers, the ones who chose each other as best they could, using all the information they had available at the time, finally arrive at the moment when they are able to see past all the charades and look into the frightened eyes of another messy human being, this is when Love really shows up.

Truth opens the door and greets her with a smile. She walks to center stage and, with a quiet power, speaks her blessing:

“Our Father will give you all the love you need. It will pour down from above, drench you, and overflow your cup. The overflow is for others.”

Does this mean they live happily ever after?

One can hope, but that isn’t for any of us to know. What is most important, however, is they can both choose to live fulfilled right now. This is actually when falling in love can happen — after the decision and after the blessing. Truth + Love = True Love. Let’s face it, loving ourselves and other messy people is a miracle of the highest order.

And in case your partner is not able to reciprocate your love, living happily is just as available in abundance for you. This is because the biggest lover in every picture is always God.