1544) When I see young people in love, I smile and shake my head. Why? Because I know what love was like early in my relationship with my husband and I know what it looks like now, 37 years later. They are two very different types of love.

“Young” love is all-consuming. The glimpse of a face, the whisper of endearment. All of this is so captivating and a good thing. What the media seems to miss (or misrepresent) is this kind of love is temporary, something that morphs (or should) into something else. Not that people further down the road of love do not experience these things. Instead, it is the exception and not necessarily the norm. Our love morphs because as we gain understanding of the one we love, we learn (or don’t) to accept each other, faults and all.

Why have my thoughts taken me in this direction? Because as I read Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” I consider the different stages of love.

The Hebrew word used for love is אַהֲבָה ahabah , which is translated “lovesick”. This word reminds me of “young love”; the powerful love we feel before all is revealed, so why would God love us with this sort of love? Because God already knows everything about us. He doesn’t need time to learn who we really are, faults and all, and then adapts his love toward us. It’s almost like God has this “young” love for us forever.

God eagerly anticipates the sound of our voices. He enjoys hearing about our day’s events. He loves bragging about us and smiles as we smile and cries as we cry. This is love, and God loves you this much.