Love at First Sight - June 22, 2022

My An Arkie's Faith column from the June 22, 2022, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a lonely boy. In that same land, there lived a girl with beautiful golden hair. One day as the lonely boy walked into history class, he looked across the room and saw the girl with beautiful golden hair. His heart jumped, and he knew this was love at first sight. He knew he had to get up the courage to talk to this vision of loveliness with the beautiful golden curls.

The lonely boy was too shy to talk to girls, so it was almost a year before the girl with the beautiful golden hair had any idea that the lonely boy was interested. The good Lord knew that the lonely boy needed all the help he could get, so the Lord made it so that the lonely boy and the girl with the beautiful golden hair crossed paths in several ways that year.

The history teacher selected five students to work together each week, producing learning packets for history class. The girl with the beautiful golden hair and the lonely boy were in the group meeting in the library each week to create the history learning packets. They both worked at the furniture factory. The lonely boy worked on the dresser jig, and the girl with the beautiful golden hair made drawers. The lonely boy would spend his break time with the drawer makers, but the girl with the beautiful golden hair still didn't catch on.

It came time for their high school graduation, and the lonely boy still had never gotten up the nerve to ask the girl with the beautiful golden hair out on a date. Finally, the lonely boy mustered up every ounce of courage he could find and asked the girl with the beautiful golden hair if she would march with him at the graduation. The girl with the beautiful golden hair told him that she would like to, but she had already told another boy that she would march with him. If the lonely boy talked to the other boy and it was okay with him, she would march with the lonely boy. Once again, the lonely boy summoned up every bit of courage he had and spoke to the other boy, who was very gracious and bowed out. The lonely boy was on cloud nine. The girl with the beautiful golden hair would be walking down the aisle beside him when they graduated.

This fairytale had a delightful ending. After a year of a long-distance relationship, with five hundred miles separating them, the lonely boy and the girl with the beautiful golden hair were finally in the same place at the same time. Then the lonely boy knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the girl with beautiful golden hair. On a wonderful June day, they were married in a fairytale wedding.

Most fairy tales are not true, but I can assure you this one is true. I was that lonely boy. If you ask me if I believe in love at first sight, I will tell you I do. I also know that God believes in love at first sight.

The Bible tells us that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (NKJV). And 1 John 4:19 (NCV) says, "We love because God first loved us."

God created you as an object of his love. David understood this when he wrote, "You made my whole being. You formed me in my mother's body." Psalms 139:13 (ICB) He made you so that He could love you and so you could love him. God's love for you is the reason you are alive.

God has loved you longer than you can even imagine. It wasn't love at first sight; it was love before you were even born. Ephesians 1:4 (NLV) says that "even before the world was made, God chose us for Himself because of His love." God tells us, "Before I formed you in your mother's body I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart to serve me." Jeremiah 1:5 (NIRV)

Just like a marriage relationship has its good and bad days, so does our relationship with God. Some days our hearts are full of love for God. Some days we are rebellious and angry with Him.

The story of Job is fascinating and complex. When he lost everything and everyone he loved, Job's anger is understandable. "I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer me; I stand before you, but you barely take notice." Job 30:20 (NCB) I don't believe that harboring blame and anger toward God is a good thing in itself. But our emotions don't scare God, and we must be honest about them. Despite his anger, Job rushes to God  – not away. He has a dialogue with God. 

The good news is that God loves you on your bad days as much as he loves you on your good days. He loves you when you are angry with him. He loves you when you can feel his love and when you aren't sure that He even exists. "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." Psalms 103:8 (NIV)

There is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you. In Romans 8:38,39 (NCV), Paul wrote, "I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Gentle Reader, are you lonely and looking for love? God has already chosen you. He loved you before you were even born. If you love Him back, He has promised you a happily ever after. In John 14:2,3 (VOICE), Jesus tells us, "My Father's home is designed to accommodate all of you. If there were not room for everyone, I would have told you that. I am going to make arrangements for your arrival. I will be there to greet you personally and welcome you home, where we will be together." Don’t be lonely. Jesus wants you to be with him.