Love! Love!! Love!!!
I hear our young ones ask different questions about love. I’ve been asked questions about being in love at a young age.
However, the few questions that hit me whenever I'm asked is, “Am I too young to love someone?”, “Is falling in love a sin?”, “Can I find true love at a teenage age?”.
As a teenager, you might have these questions lurking around in your head. If not, you won’t be reading this.
Let me tell you this
Sincerely, love is a beautiful feeling. It’s one of the purest feelings one can ever have. It’s not bad to love someone, neither is it a sin to fall in love. In this post, I’ll tell you WHY. So, make sure you read to the end.
Let’s begin with…
Am I too young to love?
Before we get started, let’s define love.
According to the Oxford dictionary, love is an intense feeling of deep affection.
“Love doesn't care how you look like. Love doesn't try to control you. Love sets you free. - Urban dictionary.
“Love is a total respect, acceptance, and admiration of another,” says Ann (a contributor on Quora).
In very simple terms, Love is accepting someone as they are; their flaws, excesses, and you’re okay with them.
We have different types of love. Like, playful love - the kind you feel when you have a crush on someone, romantic love - where one gets emotionally and physically involved, love between friends, love for everyone - otherwise known as agape love, long-standing love - which focuses more on staying in love than falling in love, love of the self - otherwise known as self-love, and family love - which is love between your family members.
Here’s a sweet way the bible talks about love:
“ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things endures all things. Love never ends. (1Corin.13:4-8a)
Love is an amazing feeling that everyone should experience and also give. To be a giver of love, everybody is expected to show love to themselves, their families, friends, colleagues, etc.
That is to say, nobody is too young to love, including you. No matter your age, there is no age limit to love. You are required to show love to everyone. The two greatest commandments of God are; Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Yes, I know that sometimes It’s not easy to love your neighbor, especially with their flaws. But, you have someone that can help you - GOD! He loves us even while we’re sinners. Now, ask yourself, who’s the better person to show you how to love if not him? So, If you’d want to succeed in love, Bring God in to guide you.
The next one is...
Is Falling in Love at a young age a sin?
I understand that society has formed us to believe that falling in love at a young age is a sin, or maybe you are too young to fall in love.
Parents are scared of their young ones, especially the girls being in a relationship at a very young age because of the stigma of getting pregnant, or their boys accepting responsibility at a young age. They wouldn’t want their child delaying or ruining their destiny. Hence, the strict rule of not being in a relationship at a young age until they have reached a certain age or level in life.
On the other hand, many teenagers mistake lust and infatuation with love. The truth is, you don’t just wake up one morning and fall in love with someone. Love is a gradual process that takes time and effort.
It’s important to discern if it’s love or lust. Sometimes, what you feel that is love, is actually lust. It’s quite rare to fall so fast in love genuinely. It might be lust, co-dependency, or infatuation. Check the biblical explanation of what love is. If none of them exists in yours, then know that it is not love.
However, if the love is genuine, real, and true, then it is not a sin to fall genuinely in love with someone at a young age, as long as you’re following the biblical principles for relationships.
Falling in love is not planned, it’s a feeling that can start growing at any time. You need to understand that God has to be in the center of your relationship. Having God in your relationship guarantees it a higher chance of survival for the long term as long as you both are committed to putting in the work.
Do it God’s way and not the world’s way and he’ll direct the affairs of your relationship.
Understand that you aren’t perfect and might make mistakes in the process, maybe by loving the wrong person. You don’t need to kill yourself for it. God is always there to walk with you through heartbreak. This is one thing that most people don’t know.
Lastly,
Is teenage love true?
Well, It depends.
It’s difficult to know if teenage love is true or not. Understand that true love is not always about how you feel, but how the other person feels. It’s about being dedicated to this other person. How you would know a love that is true; it is strong and unshakable.
True love sure exists with teenagers. Some high school sweethearts sometimes end up married and still crazy in love, while many others don’t. Mostly, it depends on who you’re with, who you are, and what you both are bringing to the table of your relationship.
Are you both committed to working things out in your relationship? Remember that for the relationship to work, both parties have to commit to making it work.
Also, bear in mind that God should be the center of your relationship. That is the surest link for any relationship to work.
Finally,
You are not expected to rush falling in love. At this stage of your life, you should concentrate on yourself, your education, your family, and everything that concerns you.
And if love finds you, great! But don’t chase it or go around looking for who to love you. First, you need to love yourself so much that at the right time when that special person finds you, you are able to love that person easily. Know that you cannot love another if you don’t love yourself.
If you’re already in a relationship, don’t lose yourself. PLEASE DON’T!
Don’t lose your morals or values. You should never compromise your values to prove to someone that you love them. The right person for you would respect you, your decisions, and your boundaries. So, do not lose yourself in the process because you feel you want to prove yourself to this person.
I cannot tell you this enough, whatever or whoever you are engaging with, let God direct you. He knows the end from the beginning. He will make the perfect choice for you!