The Most Important Decision

We base many things in life upon our feelings. And I know that my feelings change frequently.

Like falling in and out of love. Fall in. Fall out. How does that happen? Why does that happen? Perhaps it is when we base the relationship on feelings alone. Feelings come and go like the breeze.

Oh yeah, there’s nothing more exciting than the warm fuzzies when falling in love. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I would love to experience the fuzzies again before I die. It’s youthful and energizing. A warm fuzzy is the key which unlocks the door to love. But the warm fuzzies turn cold when we don’t nurture the relationship. And the reason being is…

Love is a decision.

The warm fuzzies…the spark, the click, the fireworks…are an important part of a relationship. But to experience love completely is a choice; a well, thought-out decision. Nothing can be expected to last forever when it is solely built upon feelings.

Loving God is a decision.

When we first realize the err of our ways, our incompleteness, our losses…and we turn to God…we often feel the warm fuzzies. I know I did. The emotion ran high for me. We fall in love with God. We wrap ourselves in His warmth. We recognize His protection. We feel His love.

As time goes on that initial feeling of exhilaration fades. We come down off the high. Unless we choose to love Jesus, unless we make that a conscious decision, we will fall back into a life without Him. Fall in. Fall out.

Whether in a romantic love relationship or a relationship with Christ, both require work on our part. Deciding to love requires understanding. It requires compromise. It requires diligence. It requires consistency. Love requires effort to be successful.

Granted, God is all-understanding, diligent, and consistent. He doesn’t compromise His truth though for what we want to believe.

Love is worth the effort, but it is a decision. Taking the decision-making step before the fuzzies fade is often crucial to long-lasting love. Ask any couple who has remained married for decades if their marriage was easy. Most likely they will laugh first, and then they tell you all the ways it was not. But they will tell you it was a choice to remain married. A decision made by each of them. I have a great sadness in knowing I’ll never experience a 50th wedding anniversary. Or, even a 30th.

Love is a decision. On the human side of love, both need to decide to love the other. On the God side of love, He never waivers. He made the decision to love when earth was just a thought.

Decide to love. There’s a ton of emptiness in giving up when the fuzziness fades. Certainly, not all fuzzies are true because so much in our world is based on lust and not love. But how many true relationships have been discarded because the decision to love takes work? We humans have a tendency to take the path of least resistance.

Love is a decision. Embrace it. It’s the most important decision you will ever make. ♥️

Andi