Article November 15, 2010 Issue

I choose Love

BY STEVE HENN

OFTEN WHEN I FIND MYSELF feeling upset or disappointed about something going on in my life, I am reminded of these words from Christ Jesus: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). Elsewhere, Jesus expresses a similar idea, saying, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" (Matt. 6:8).

When I honestly consider these teachings of Jesus, I am humbled into asking myself, "How willingly do I trust God to provide for my needs and desires?" It's easy to feel comfortable leaving small issues "in God's hands." For the bigger things, however, I have tended to attempt a more "thanks God, but I got it" approach. And a few years ago, I realized there was one big area in which I was particularly reluctant to allow God to provide for my needs: relationships.

At that point in my life I knew that my highest sense of purpose was to love God supremely. I wanted to be listening to His guidance in everything I did, from teaching to running. However, I also really wanted to find a romantic relationship, and I worried that in order to find love, I would have to be totally focused on pursuing it, which would distract me from really putting God first. Then again, I wondered, if I chose to love God with my whole heart, would that lead me away from any chance of finding companionship? It felt as if I had to make a choice: Either I could opt to lead a life focused on God, or I could throw myself into a search for companionship and lose sight of my life's purpose.