I’m a sucker for love stories. Stories where love wins, strengthens ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and is the force behind happy endings and bright, hopeful futures. Apparently, I’m not alone. The romance genre of books sells by far the most–almost twice as much as the next highest category. It’s ironic that, even with divorce rates, temporary ‘love’ affairs, and cynicism higher than ever, we still at least want to believe that love is more powerful than self-interest, that it can conquer fear and doubt and hardship, and that it can bring us happiness.
Maybe it is that we are meant to connect with love stories. Perhaps something inside us longs for that deepest of feelings and the loyalty and fidelity, forgiveness, generosity and endurance it implies. It is love, after all, that is the motivating force of God’s eternal plan and the Savior’s atonement. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16) “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) It seems that our spiritual DNA knows and seeks for the kind of love that brought us here and brings us back home.
In our imperfect world with our imperfect selves, we always fall short of that ideal in our loving. Love requires work and sacrifice and a giving of ourselves that we often don’t give. That doesn’t mean that love isn’t real and that it’s power isn’t there, however. It simply means that we don’t do it well all of the time. How wonderful it is to know that as we strive to emulate His love, although we mess up, we always have a perfect example and never failing guide in Him. How grateful to know that His love, “suffereth long, and is kind…envieth not;…is not puffed up,…seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;…Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things…” And above all, “never faileth.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Because that is the kind of love we see and feel from Him, we can continue to look to Him for help in loving that way ourselves. We can keep trying to have interactions in our relationships where we exhibit a portion of that love to others. We can seek to be true and loyal and selfless. We can also trust in that love for us. It’s already been tested and tried and proven sure. Nothing can take it away and nothing can destroy it. So no matter the trial, the uncertainty, or the distress, we can say with Nephi, “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” (1 Nephi 11:17) It’s the love story to end all love stories. His perfect love triumphs over all of life’s sorrows, overcomes every obstacle and provides eternal happy endings (well, continuings…). So when we don’t know what comes next or what will happen or how we can continue, we can know that He loves us and that His love never, ever fails, and always leads us upwards.
And we can love love stories, knowing they point us to truths about the greatest love-eternal love-that really does endure forever, that conquers selfishness and hate, that restores and enhances all that is good and that provides lasting happiness and fulfillment.
