Make time for love

You are my God. My times are in your hands (Psalm 31:14-15).

Love is the most important thing in life. When He created Adam, God told the man an important truth—it is not good to be alone. We need relationships, and every healthy relationship is based on some degree of love. Relationships cannot survive without respect; love honors other people as valuable. Relationships cannot survive without forgiveness; love helps us put aside our hurt and pride so that damaged relationships can be restored. Relationships cannot thrive in the face of selfishness; love gives us the desire to put other people’s needs before our own. Love brings us all together.

So how do you nurture love? What does it need to survive and grow? The most important thing love needs is also the most precious commodity you have, because it is limited—love needs the commitment of time.

Time is a limited resource—whether you are rich or poor, no one gets more than 24 hours each day to show love to someone else. Because time is limited, we must budget its use carefully. Those 24 hours must include eating, sleeping, and earning a living. We have errands to run and chores to do around the house. We also hope for time to relax and enjoy ourselves, even if it’s only for a few minutes. A lot of days, 24 hours just isn’t enough time to get everything done—so when someone wants a piece of our time, we are often stingy with offering it.

But love cannot blossom without an investment of time. A child might enjoy the gifts you bring him, but given a choice he’d rather have your time instead. Relationships are based on communication—sharing your ideas and opinions, finding out what hopes and dreams are important to others. Relationships grow when people struggle through conflicts, investing time into finding a solution that everyone involved can be satisfied with. Love cannot grow strong unless it is given time to do so.

The most important relationship in life is the one that you have with Jesus. Like any other relationship, it requires a commitment of your time—time to worship, time to pray, time to read His words in the Bible. Jesus loves you, but your connection with Him can be lost if you ignore it. Through Christ, you have God’s love and support; don’t let such a wonderful relationship die because you won’t make time for it!