Committed

He told me that there was a time when he was unsure...and everything fell apart. There was tension, heartache, uncertainty. I remember it well.

And then everything changed. He turned back. He felt God working; he felt love renewed.

But the feelings did not always remain. There was still uncertainty, tension, pain. The difference? His commitment to see it through this time.

This is what he said, "Feelings cannot dictate to a relationship. Feelings change. Feelings can tell you things that are not true. When you set your heart to commit to someone...no matter what...that is when your love grows. Feelings, words, and actions should follow commitment and not the other way around."

When I heard him, I knew that he loved well. And although I am only his sister...I felt more loved than ever. There was a security in his words...a place to rest from any kind of fear. Thank you, brother, for taking the time to tell me that committing to love, even in the face of adversity, is the most hopeful and honest kind of love there is.

I have never heard such joy in his voice. I have never heard him laugh so much. I have never heard the certainty as I did in the days following their wedding day. He has found the treasure in loving well.

When you know that you are free, you automatically allow others their freedom. When you choose to love and to keep on loving, love has its freedom to grow and return to you. That is where the joy comes from. It is not about rules and regulations. It is not about what "he said, she said". It is less about what is being taken away and more about what can be given to increase. It is all about the realization that you are free to commit to the staying or to the going. If love is ever to be renewed it is wrapped up in these two things...freedom and commitment...hand in hand. One cannot come without the other. On their own, either one will lose their power and relationships will fall apart.

Where do you feel led to be? Where is God directing your heart? Then commit yourself to the path...no matter what the circumstances, no matter what fears, insecurities, and pain tell you to do. Commit to something, stand up for someone, even if it is just for you, even if it is for a someone you never thought you could ever forgive. See what happens then. See where love takes you. Watch yourself change and grow into a person who is truly free, into a person who brings freedom to others. And then listen as the joy rises up in your heart and the healing begins.