10 Characteristics of Lasting Love

You know when you see two people who belong together and everything in the world is right when they can live happily ever after?  Ok that might be a little dramatic, but there are people out there that restore my hope in the kind of love that can last a lifetime.  This past weekend I was able to share in the wedding of my dear friends whose love for each other inspired me to think about lasting love in a world where that idea is often a fairy tale and rarely expected in real life.

Now I won't pretend to be a love guru and I certainly don't have it all together in this department, but here are ten things I know about lasting love....

1.  Love without God is lost

2.  Love that lasts is self-sacrificing

3.  Love does not have to be based on mutual interests or shared hobbies

4.  Love can come in waves of feelings, but must be steady in commitment 

5.  Love that lasts is tolerant of many different emotions even when those emotions are not completely understood

6.  Love surrounded by laughter can make it through hard times

7.  Love that lasts always puts the other person first

8.  Love that pulls you from your comfort zone and pushes you to try new things will make you stronger as a person and as a couple

9.  Love that hurts should be let go of

10.  Love that lasts is not always rewarding, but it is always worth it

*Bonus:  11.  Love that follows 1 Corinthians 13 will last