We’ve just passed Valentine’s Day. Me and my wife never really take notice of Valentine’s Day. This year, we actually thought about going away for the day, but in the end just being home and having a quiet Sunday won hands down.
A couple of days later, my eldest — about to turn thirteen — out of the blue asked us when we sat together before dinner: “Are you guys still in love?”
True to her female side, my wife immediately replied: “Of course yes!”
True to my male side, I replied: “Of course not.”
Oops. The stares burned holes through my being.
I tried to recover with an innocent question: “What do you mean with ‘in love’?”
“Well, do you feel awkward when you see each other, and think about each other all the time when you are apart?”
“Nope,” I replied. My wife’s glance prompted a swift response.
“You are referring to being in love, yes. But we’re past that. We simply love each other. The difference is this: We do not feel awkward when we see each other, but when we don’t see each other. And we do not think of each other all the time when we are apart, but when we are together, we think ahead about not being together…”
“Sweet…” replied my teenage daughter. My wife’s smile confirmed my recovery.
Afterward I thought about what I said (a typical male, I know). And I realized that it actually makes a lot of sense, and that it’s true. Loving someone turns the table from being ‘in love’. Being together becomes the norm, and being apart becomes the weird part.
I think being in love is the lift-off that the spaceship needs. But staying the course on the long journey in space is what makes it all worthwhile.
Echurch is an online community of followers of Jesus. But we have a large footprint offline as well. We take the charge to care for those who can't care for themselves very seriously.