Simple question-

You’re dating someone and you have been for a while.  Neither person is dating someone else- so it’s safe to say that you’re exclusive.  Does it matter if there is the label/title of “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”?  Why or Why not?

In some ways, I’m sort of amazed by the title. I mean, it is what I came up with. However, why is it that we have to choose to love? Shouldn’t that be something that happens automatically?

A good friend of mine and I are in similar situations, and we’re both taking the opportunity to choose to love. As females, (and we pride ourselves on being STRONG females), we’ve found it particularly difficult to express the freedom and vulnerability that comes with choosing to love. It’s not that we’re in love. We’re really just in like…and exploring what could come. But even in this- there has to be an openness and a freedom of being able to give it your all- even if it doesn’t turn out right.

And then you ask yourself- doesn’t that person deserve my best? This person just came along at this point in the journey. They aren’t responsible for what happened before. They can’t change what happened before. None of us can change what happened before. All we’re given is now- and we’ve got to make it count. I’m feeling that the best way to make it count is by consciously choosing to love.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” ~ 1 John 4:18, 19