“Love sweetens every relationship and turns even ordinary days into joyful ones. In love, we find a foretaste of the joy that awaits us in heaven.”- Jonathan Edwards
We are often led to believe that love is an interlocking of hearts, a perfect fit between two souls, a seamless merging of two individuals into one. Romanticized notions depict love as two puzzle pieces snapping together, completing a picture of harmony and perfection. But love is not an interlocking—it is an embracing.
Love embraces not just the best parts of another person, but also their dreams and disappointments, their hopes and hesitations, their fears and their wounds. Love does not demand a flawless fit; rather, it calls for open arms, a listening heart, and a willingness to journey together toward what life could be. Love does not say, “I complete you,” but rather, “I walk with you.”
The Key to Love: An Open Door
We often seek the key to love, some secret formula that unlocks an unbreakable bond. The bad news is that there is no key. But this is also the good news—because love is open. It is not a locked box requiring access, nor a vault to be guarded with secrecy and fear. Love is an open door, an invitation rather than a restriction.
The Apostle Paul, in one of the most profound descriptions of love, tells us:
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Love is not a force that binds; it is a force that liberates. It does not seek to possess but to give. It does not close its doors in fear but leaves them open in trust. This is the very love of God, who did not withhold His own Son but gave Him freely for our redemption (Romans 8:32).
A Love that Embraces Imperfection
We’re often told love should be easy, always happy, and free of struggles. But the strongest love isn’t perfect—it grows through challenges. Long-lasting love isn’t just about feelings; it’s about commitment, grace, and choosing each other every day. This is especially true for those who are in a marriage covenant.
“It is not your love that keeps the marriage strong, but the marriage that keeps your love strong.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Love is sustained not by fleeting emotions but by a commitment to remain open even in moments of struggle. Christ Himself exemplified this when He embraced the cross, not for those who deserved it, but for those who were undeserving (Romans 5:8).
Living in Open Love
To love as Christ loves is to keep the door open, even when fear whispers to shut it. It is to choose forgiveness when resentment tempts us to lock our hearts away. It is to offer grace, even when it is not earned.
As C.S. Lewis poignantly reminds us:
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable.” (The Four Loves)
So, even as Valentine’s Day approaches (and every day of the year), let love be an open door, reflecting the boundless, sacrificial love of Christ. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
“Love is all, it gives all, and it takes all. True love is open, giving, and self-sacrificing. It is not calculated but unconditional, not measured but endless.” – Søren Kierkegaard
