real love

"What is real love? How do I know if I really love someone? How can I know what's God's will in my relationship?"

I love tblaberge's response:

Hello Anon, it’s very late but I can’t sleep and I just saw this message. As of this answer I’m about to write, it’ll be 9 days till my wedding. In the past couple of years I have had the great honor getting to date a beautiful and wonderful woman named Allie.
I then asked her to be my wife, and the engagement process has been lovely too. All this to say that true love is when you are willing each day to choose the person who you have in your life.
For me, it’s Allie. I choose her daily, and I will choose her for as long as I am allowed to. In our search for love, we think it has to be this mountain top experience, and sometimes it is, but the reality is that love is quiet moments. Love is being annoyed at the other person and then asking for forgiveness later that night.
Love is having peace about something together, and love is patient when neither of you are on the same wave link.
Love is selfless, saying to the other person “I see you and I’m choosing to lay down my life for you.”
True love has to be cultivated, it has to be nourished and cared for. It is far too easy to live on the feeling side of love, but sometimes love requires the fullest amount of our hearts. It must be worked on and shown priority.
One thing I know for certain, love makes us grow in wonderful ways. When I love Allie well, I grow seeing her bloom and flourish. That’s the amazing thing about it, love has a way of giving back what we put into it. It’s not always upfront, but it is there and we are the better for it.
Of course, none of this is possible without Christ’ love. For the wellspring of all goodness and love comes from Christ, in him and through him do we have the example and resources to carry us above our selfishness. When we are empty, he fills us. When we are starving, he feeds us. When we are dying, he brings us to life.
Only in Jesus do I have the ability to lift Allie up in love. That is the key to it all, Christ and his endless love for us.

Oh Jesus, thank you for showing me how much You love me. Thank you for drowning me in your love. I'm sorry I did not truly understand your love until these past weeks. Only You can fill me when I'm empty, so I can continue to pour out love. Thank you for showing me that. I pray for the opportunity to once again pour out my love, but this time, endlessly because, this time, I can, and again, I choose to. Thank you for showing me a love that only lifts and does not drag down. A love that blooms, not smothers. I love you Jesus, I love you Jesus.