Can this be love I am feeling right now?

We all want to be loved, feel loved and to love. We are searching for love which is true and can last forever.  But how do you know when you are in love and if it is true? I remember my parents always saying during my teenage years, “if you meet a man in whose presence you feel a desire to achieve, who inspires you to do your best, and to make yourself better, such a man is worthy of your love and is awakening love in your heart. In his presence you should feel that you would like to be everything that a perfect woman should be, for he will inspire you to that ideal.”

My husband and I met John (not his real name) waiting for his bride on their special day. Dondi asked him about their love story, and he gladly shared it with us. He said that they met when they were still in college and he knew that she was a Latter-day Saint. He said that she was very attractive and a very special girl. She loved to read the Book of Mormon with him and share her testimony of the church. He doesn’t remember ever feeling pressured or pushed to be a member of the church, but her patience, honesty, and sincerity helped him to open his heart and to listen to the missionaries. After that, he was baptized and he knew for himself that everything was true– not because he loved her, but because that’s what he felt. He told us that he wanted to be better each day that he was with her. Then they both fasted and prayed about getting married.

Dondi and I admired him so much. He loved her so much, but he also respected her and never took advantage of her. We were pleased to witness their special day.

How do you define true love?

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “If one really loves another, one would rather die for that person than to injure him.”

Many of us think of love as a physical attraction, and casually speak of “falling in love” and “love at first sight.” You cannot say it’s true love the first time you meet each other, although some might say it is. Love can only be true if when you see that person you desire to be better, you are willing to sacrifice your own happiness for that person, and you are committed to do everything in good times and in bad.

President Kimball added that love is a process, love is not a declaration, and love is not an announcement. Love is not a passing fancy. Love is not an expediency. Love is not a convenience. Love requires personal action.

True love is faith, confidence, understanding and partnership. There must be great devotion and companionship. It requires cleanliness, progress, sacrifice and selflessness. This kind of love never gets tired but stands through sickness and sorrow, accomplishment and disappointment, through time and eternity.

How to strengthen your love and be not afraid

I think most of us experience heart aches or break ups, in not only romantic relationships but even with friends and family. When it is too painful we sometimes give up on loving someone and choose not to love again. We become afraid to fail and get hurt. I believe there are a lot of reasons why it happens to us, but there are ways to strengthen your love and overcome your fears of loving again.

Be more prayerful in times of trial. We must have the desire to come closer to the Lord during our trials. We must continually be hopeful in our prayers for a bright tomorrow. Always express gratitude in our prayers for another learning experience, and take it positively.

Give more service. During trying times, our natural tendency is to think more of our feelings or condition than to think about others. Let us be more outward than inward. When we serve others, we learn that we are not alone and we come to realize that we are still blessed by the Lord.

Learn more about the Savior’s love. Studying the scriptures and listening to the counsel of the prophet will help us understand and internalize more of the Lord’s unconditional love for us. Our Heavenly Father never gives up on us, no matter how many times we have failed Him by our unwise choices.

I had a friend who is very dear to me. There was a time that she experienced a painful break up from the love of her life. Her love for this man was unquestionable, and she was deeply wounded by the choice of her boyfriend to let her go. But she was brave enough to face this test. I saw her the next day wearing a big a smile and I could sense the hope that she had in her heart that everything would be alright. Every time she remembered those feelings of being broken, she would just stop to meditate and talk to the Lord. She also made more time to reach out to others and she actively tried to learn more about the Savior and the great plan of the Lord. With that faith that she showed, miracles happened in her life. She and her previous boyfriend were able to get back together and this time their love became sweeter and stronger. I remember her saying, “I would never demand that he change for me. Instead, I will love him more each day and accept him for who he is.” Her unconditional love for this man was able to change him for the better and I am a witness of that. They overcame this great test, were married in the temple, and were blessed with a son that has made their lives complete.

Can this be love? Yes, definitely.

The post Can This Be True Love I am Feeling Right Now? appeared first on morefaith.ph.

June 2009

On the very fist day of school, attending a new school was a daunting experience for me. I neither had any idea of the campus nor the classes I would be in until I met Chaelyn Albances.

She was the first person who made me feel at home in my new school. We clicked well and fast. Because we loved to talk about random things, it was inevitable when she asked questions about my faith. One particular question that stood out was, “Do Mormons have problems? You always look so happy as if you don’t have any major concerns.”

Although she was genuinely curious about my beliefs and my life as a Mormon, I was hesitant to ask the LDS missionaries to her home since it could make our friendship awkward. But, there was something about Chaelyn that told me that she was ready to hear the message. It took couple years after when I requested the missionaries to visit her.

August 2011

Eight months after that first appointment, Chaelyn was baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On that beautiful afternoon, I saw how she glowed with radiance. Her willingness to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ helped her overcome the challenges towards this greater commitment – baptism. I witnessed her grow as she finished reading the Book of Mormon and became satisfied from the answers she received from the book. The Lord knows that she can do marvelous things in building His Kingdom on this Earth. This was the day I embraced the feeling we came from seatmates to sisters for eternity

Feb 26, 2014

My wedding day was very special to me as I was sealed to my eternal partner and witnessed Chaelyn’s first time in the temple. “There is a special spirit in the Temples of the Church and I am grateful to be given the chance to feel it,” was how she described her feeling inside the Holy place.

Our friendship has been a source of inspiration as we shared goals together in building each other up to be better daughters of God.

August 28, 2015

A little over 4 years after her baptism, Chaelyn was called to serve in Idaho Pocatello Mission. This woman who also looked for truth is now the one who is bringing it to others. Looking back, I feel grateful that the Lord used me as His instrument for Chaelyn. I remember the song “I’ll Find You My Friend” from this experience. I can testify that I found her!

From my last conversation with her, she said:

The Savior doesn’t count how many rejections we receive but He counts how many souls we bring to His fold. He doesn’t care who you will bring, for every soul is great in His sight! NO effort is wasted. Jesus Christ died for all of us and so repentance is REAL! I love this work. Missionary work is the best!

I still cannot describe the feelings that come to me every time I think of my experience sharing the gospel with Chaelyn. More than anything, I am grateful that I did and that the Lord gave me the opportunity to serve a young woman who was bound to do wonders for Him. Let us find those opportunities to inspire our own friend and we may someday begin our stories from being seatmates to friends for eternity.

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There is forever, if you believe with every bit of you the want of it. In this case, love becomes more than just a human type of love, it becomes something alive, something that develops and grows. It deepens, it takes its own course through and through, until it becomes eternal in nature. Learn from God himself: Isaiah 40:8. – Pheobe, Hawaii

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Those who say no forever, I believe, are those who do not understand the purpose of life. – Jonas, Utah

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Para sa akin, nagjo-joke lang sila kasi yung saying na yan ay uso ngayon. Parang expression lang nila. Or maybe, sinasabi nila na “walang forever” cause they are losing hope na makahanap ng partner and they feel discouraged. But I don’t feel they really meant it kasi naniniwala naman talaga ang mga members na may eternity, forever pa kaya? Ginagamit lang nila as expression cguro. – Aileen, Davao

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There’s a big difference if a church member would say it. For me, honestly, I brush it off because I think nagpapa-cute lang sila kasi we are already taught na may forever so why say the opposite? Nakiki-uso? – Ira, California

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Para sa akin, ang forever ay nasa relationship as long as two individuals work with each other. Give and take relationships. The Lord declared that husband and wife can be together when they are sealed in the Temple. That is for all time and eternity. Naniniwala ako sa forever, basta both couple will work it out. Andyan yung trust, respect, love, and soooo many things pa. – Alice, Japan

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At first, I would just brush it off and dismiss it thinking that that could just be an expression they’re using considering “walang forver” is a line popular especially to the youth. However, when someone who just had a heartbreak would suddenly insist that there really is no forever, I feel really sad. The knowledge of being with the love of my life and my family for time and all eternity has comforted me in times of great anxiety and challenges. The truth that indeed there is a forever has strengthened us and our resolve to live worthy of that blessing. I feel sad when people lose sight of that truth because a great hope comes with having faith in the promise of forever. – Giulia, Quezon City

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I think we members should not be seen nor be heard with the “walang forever” thing. This is not just a mockery to the atonement but a non-humanitarian act of hurting more those who are already losing their grip to the light of Christ because of heartbreak. There is a thing called FOREVER and that’s A HARD TRUTH that not even the most intelligent brain can bend. – Jun, Quezon City

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Para sa akin, sa mga tao na nagsasabi na walang forever I think hindi nila na appreciate yung time nila nong may bf/gf pa sila, like they just focus on the negative side ng relationship. Para sa akin lahat ng relationship ay naglala-last forever kahit hindi naging kayo in the end. It lasts forever kasi sa mga good memories, fun times, etc. Para sa akin hindi dapat mag-end yung relationship or friendship kahit di na kayo. – Rommel, Thailand

I’m grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ kasi it taught me na merong forever. Though some members joke about it, I hope that friends not of our faith understand that Mormons believe in forever. Life without the promise of forever is not a life worth living.

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