How to find love

It seems that about 90% of songs, movies, or books are about finding love.  Even Disney's Frozen,
while being unique in that a sibling relationship was the focus of the film, still had a romantic love story running through it.

So, how do you find love?

There are a lot of practical tips to give, but I want to give one that you probably won't find in Teen Magazine.

To find love, make sure that you are loved.

Huh?

Yeah.  Sounds weird, right?

Here's the deal: if you see yourself as an empty cup that some future boyfriend or girlfriend will fill up with love there will be two problems:
1. They'll eventually fail you (humans have a tendency to do that :)
2. You will have expectations of them that they won't be able to fill in the long run.

In both cases, you end up a half-full or even an empty cup.

But what if you already felt loved?  What if, being securely loved already by someone else, you could then enjoy a relationship with someone without expecting them to be your 'all in all' or to 'make' you happy?

One of the ancient Psalm writers wrote, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  Another of the Psalmists wrote, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.  My hope comes from him."

Do you truly believe you are loved by God?  Do you believe He loves you, not just your accomplishments?  Do you believe He thinks about you, even when you're not in church?  Do you believe He really cares about your daily life, your struggles, your joys, the things that make you laugh, and the things that get under your skin?

The cross was not just about forgiveness.  It was also about making a very clear statement to each of us individually, that He is willing to do whatever it takes to bridge the gap between us and Him.

If you can truly trust and live inside of the Father's love and affection, you will find that you don't have to be so desperate about getting a boyfriend or girlfriend.

But also, when you do get one, the pressure is off: He doesn't need to make you happy.  She doesn't need to make you worthy.  You're already loved.  Now you can enjoy simply blessing the other person and bringing extra joy to their life.

Plus, you also have the peace knowing that if you come to the conclusion that you aren't meant for each other, you can break up, and still have peace and love in your heart, despite the pain and hurt that naturally comes from breaking up.

So, how do you find love?  The first place, I believe, is to fill your cup with His love first.