Seems like so often lately I see that people believe that if you have to question whether or not a relationship is worth it, whether or not a love is worth pursuing, the answer is that it isn’t, because if it was you’d never even wonder.

How can someone honestly believe that?

We take the time to stop and weigh the costs of our dreams for the future before we pursue them, because we want to know that the future we’re chasing will be worth the effort it took to get there. How, then, can people say that love is any different? If we are to truly understand the value of our love, of our relationships, and of our romance, we must acknowledge the cost. 

Now, I’m not saying that love can be bought, because it can’t. However, it does have a cost, because real love requires that sometimes we set aside our own comfort in order to support someone else and in order to make things work. 

Love was never meant to be an easy thing. Why else would wedding vows say “in sickness and in health” and “for better and for worse”? So often people think that if love is real, it will dwell only in the moments of “better” but the truth is that what makes love real is that it lasts through the “worse.” Real love accepts people as they are, perceiving flaws without excusing them but loving in spite of that. Real love fights to survive when the future is uncertain and the doubts begin to creep in. 

Society so desperately wants to believe that love is an easy thing. People want to believe that love shouldn’t have to wait, shouldn’t require work. But love that we give with no personal cost has no value.

The truest love is built upon selfless giving and sacrifice. That is why the Bible instructs men to love their wives as Christ loved the church. That is why real love can wait as long as it takes for someone else to pull through, why real love can fight through the hardest of circumstances and the worst of mistakes and emerge as something beautiful. If we are truly to understand the value of our love, we must ask whether or not we want to pay the cost, to wait through years, to fight through difficulty, and to work for greater intimacy and connection.

As a Christian, I seek God in order to determine whether or not a love is worth fighting for. Most, perhaps even all, platonic and familial loves are always worth the fight. Romantic love, on the other hand, is something that is more of a “one and only” situation. So far in my life, there has been no direction to fight for a romance, only to wait for one, but from my perspective, any lasting romance would have to be anchored in timeless, selfless friendship in order to survive the periods where things are “worse” and not “better.” 

So all of this is why I just don’t get why people can throw away the chance of love, just because they stopped to question whether or not it was worth it. And it’s not to say that all relationships will be worth it, because some of them won’t, but if the question means that you leave without finding an answer, you will never truly find a love that is worth fighting for.

Of all the things our culture under-rates, I think love is the most common. 
For all our stories, our movies, our wildest imaginings, we still have low expectations for romantic love. Some of you might be wondering, What is she talking about? Our culture expects so much! What about finding “the one” and being madly in love? What if Mr. Right never shows up? What about all this pressure to have a relationship and to fall in love?
And you’re right, those are high expectations, but they are not about love. They’re about settling for something slightly less than love, something which pretends to be love but ends up causing disappointment.
You see, love is so much more. Love is not some crazy, out-of-control emotion, love is a promise to see someone else for who they really are, flaws and all, and to stay with them, forever. Love means that 1+1=1.

There is a huge difference between “loving” someone, and loving well.
“Love” means false expectations, it means settling for less, it means being disappointed, it means being self-centered.
Loving well, on the other hand, means complete acceptance, it means being self-sacrificing, it means wanting what’s best for the other person even if it tears you apart, it means working through the issues instead of letting them ruin a relationship. And two people who love each other well are able to celebrate each other and to have unity. And believe me, loving well is healthier, more exciting, and more fun than “loving.”

How do we love well?

I think the secret to loving well can be found in the Song of Solomon:

“How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! 
   How much more pleasing is your love than wine, 
and the fragrance of your perfume 
   more than any spice!” (SoS 4:10)  

You notice how he says “my sister, my bride”? He’s not talking about incest, he’s talking about seeing his bride as a fellow child of God. And I think that’s the key. We must see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, and love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, before we can love each other as husband and wife. You might be wondering, how do I love someone like a brother or a sister in Christ? The answer is, read the Bible. It’s not something I can sum up in a short paragraph, because it’s something God has to teach you. It’s probably gonna be hard, but it will be worth it. Cuz the first part in finding Mr. Right is being Miss Right (or vice versa), and the second part is letting God handle the who, what, when, and why of finding “the one.” It might take longer than you want, it almost certainly won’t be what you expected… but it will definitely be better than if you do it on your own.
So go read your Bible! (it has better relationship advice than any magazine!)
In summary, if you want to find “the one,” then live for God.

I’m tired of seeing people hurt because of superficial relationships, not just romantically but with friends/family as well. Our generation is ready for change, for relationships that don’t get caught up in pointless drama and unrealistic expectations/stereotypes. The media and culture are saying “This is what your relationships will be like, it’s inevitable.” 

I’m saying, “Bring it on. No matter what happens I won’t let my relationships fail and deteriorate, because God is on my side.” Who’s with me?

So I’m pretty sure most of us have all seen the “I’m a Mormon” advertisements. According to this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/25/faiths-ad-campaigns-chase_n_813987.html the purpose of these ads is to help people see that Mormons are still “us” - that we are all the same basic humans, and that Mormonism is just another trait of the person - that you can still be you, and be Mormon at the same time. According to the article, they’re not the only religious group that advertises with a message like this - many others do so as well, and the message is the same: you can still be you, and have this religion.

If so, then what’s the point? If we were just fine being us, then why would we be looking for something more? In the Bible, following Jesus meant transformation - leaving your old, messed up life behind, and becoming something more by being less of you and letting God be God. We become living sacrifices when we “get saved” or “born again” or whatever you want to call it - the point is that you can’t be you and have Christianity as your religion.

Don’t get me wrong - you can try: you could live a life where you went on being you, but just so happened to be a Christian. But if so, you’d have it all wrong.
Following Christ and receiving salvation, becoming a disciple, is the ONLY way that your life will have a lasting purpose. Sure, others have “purpose” in their actions, but without God it is temporary, and therefore pointless. In a life that is truly “Christian” we give up who we want to be for something better: who God knows we could be, and who God will help us become.  

Of course, a perspective like this might not make for the most appealing marketing campaign to the general public:

“I’m a student going to community college. I listen to every single genre of music. I write songs, and I’m in a band. I love my family and my friends. My name’s Amanda… And I’m a Christian.” 
“God loves me. Jesus died and rose again in payment for my sins. Who i was and what i did before does not matter - i have become a living sacrifice and i now exist only for the purpose of loving and glorifying my Creator. My name doesn’t matter, my personality doesn’t matter - all that matters is that God saved me, and God wants to save you too, because God loves us.” 

In a world where the most effective advertising has a self-centered focus, the focus would be centered on a lack of self, and on the incomprehensible magnitude of God. And He knows that sometimes the very thing we need to be saved from is ourselves - our sinful natures that would forever separate us from the Savior who loved us so much that He died and rose again to bridge the gap of our debt.

He paid - the tickets are free, the invitation is open to all - but first you have to leave the place where you are to get to the place you’re invited. So it’s not about you being you - it’s about you leaving you behind, it’s about you running to the Savior who is running toward you and letting Him define every fiber of your being, every moment of your existence.

It’s the best thing you could ever do. 

So back on the book of faces, my newsfeed was always full of girls talking about how boys are all the same and you can’t trust them and they’ll just break your heart…

Well, my fellow ladies, guess what? I’m pretty sure boys think the same thing about girls! They just aren’t vocal about it, cuz talking about stuff like that on facebook = not how dudes roll. (usually anyway…)

I think it’s time to realize that both of us can be at fault - that boys can break girls hearts and girls can also break boys hearts, and that both of them do so equally. We’re not the only gender that can be betrayed or disappointed.

AND, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, please, please, please do NOT “learn your lesson” by realizing that “you can’t trust anyone” and that way you will “never get hurt again.” 
It is the worst possible thing you can do to yourself! When you let bad experiences color the way you see the rest of your life, then you lose! The pain wins! I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you’re not stronger when you put up more defenses!

You’re stronger when you take the defenses down, when you have the courage to give everyone a chance. You’re stronger when you have the courage to look your heartbreak in the eye and say “You will not make me bitter. I will trust in spite of you, because people are worth it - and you can’t take that away!”

Don’t let bitterness or fear of new pain keep you from jumping into the unknown - because what’s on the other side might surprise you by being more beautiful than you expected. However, don’t jump before you know that you’re jumping where God wants you to - He has a plan for your life that will make you so much happier than if you tried to figure it out on your own. And He won’t tell you everything all at once - He’ll keep you in suspense, so you never miss out on the excitement. Life is so much more beautiful when you give God control.

So, fellow humans, don’t be afraid to jump - just remember to look at your Creator before you leap!

When Jesus came to earth as a human being around 2000 years ago, He made the lame walk. He made the deaf hear. He made the blind see. He made the mute sing.

He’s still doing that today. 

I’m an ordinary teenager who just so happened to be “mute” due to my social anxiety, which is basically a completely irrational fear of social interaction, but God gave me a voice, and I’m gonna use it. I sing in a band. I write lyrics and poems. I write things like this. I speak when those who have voices are too afraid to do so - not because of me, but because of God who gives me strength.

I firmly believe that God is going to use me to change lives - He’s probably doing that already. He’s in the middle of doing something big - i believe my generation will take a stand and bear witness to the glory of God by letting Him shine through us.

So when the mute girl shouts, you know big things are coming. 

Psalm 24:3-10

 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
    Who may stand in His holy place?

    The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who has not set his mind on what is false,
    and who has not sworn deceitfully.

    He will receive blessing from the LORD,
    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

    Such is the generation of those who seek Him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

    Lift up your heads, you gates!
    Rise up, ancient doors!
    Then the King of glory will come in. 

    Who is this King of glory?
    The LORD, strong and mighty,
    the LORD, mighty in battle.

    Lift up your heads, you gates!
    Rise up, ancient doors!
    Then the King of glory will come in.

    Who is He, this King of glory?
    The LORD of Hosts,

    He is the King of glory.