Real Love in Today’s Romance-Hyped Culture
Today, my devotional is the featured blog on my friend and fellow Christian author Alexis Goring's Devotionals for the Heart "God is Love" blog.
By Jessica Brodie
A good romance book or movie can be a great escape, a fun read, even a spiritual encouragement. But sometimes, our culture’s portrayal of romance can poison our expectations of what real, lasting love is and how to achieve it.
As someone who used to be teased as a teen for being “in love with the idea of love,” I’m definitely a romantic at heart. I adore love stories, and I absolutely adore my husband.
But trouble often arises when I compare my life or my wants with what’s depicted in movies, books, or social media. The “comparison game” sets so many of us up for failure, not only in romance, but in life generally.
We look at what someone else appears to have, or the way movie couples interact, and think, “Why don’t I have this, too? Am I not good enough?”
In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul reminds us, “Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others” (Galatians 6:4 CEB). It’s the same when it comes to love. My romantic relationship with my husband is not the same as someone else’s (nor should it be!). What I find romantic might be far different from what you do, and what my husband responds to might be different, too. That’s a good thing, for we are all different!
Over the years, I’ve wised up to some myths about love. For instance:
Myth one: Romantic movies and books convince me my true love will ask me out on a date. But in real life, I’ve found a lot of guys don’t do this. They’re nervous, scared the girl will reject them or that she doesn’t have “those” kinds of feelings for them, so they don’t. They just fumble along, throwing out hints that may or may not work out. Sometimes, the girl is the one who does the asking. And that can be romantic, too!
Myth two: Romance just falls in your lap.
Read the rest of the blog, HERE.
Prefer video? Check out my YouTube video devotion, here.
