There have been thousands of articles written to describe how a girl loves her boyfriend. From reading these articles, I developed the image of a perfect guy as I grew up—a guy who loved me with all his heart and would want to be with me no matter what. The thing is . . . that made up guy is BORING! There is so much more to being in love than just having the feeling of love. There has to be a deeper connection, and you both have to be like-minded. Most of all, Christ has to be the center of your relationship.

I have always wanted someone who loves me unconditionally and loves me for who I am. God is so good in everything that He does. I am not entitled to have anything in this world, but God blesses me with so much more than what I deserve. Yes, there are relationships out there that are focused on the feeling of love, but there is so much more to love than that. I learned the validity of that statement when I started dating my boyfriend, Patrick.

When asked why I love Patrick, the answer is a little bit more complicated than saying, “He gives me butterflies, and we went riding off into the sunset.” Yes, Patrick does give me butterflies. As a matter of fact, he gives me butterflies every time I see him. However, I would answer, “Patrick desires to put God first in his life and then lead me to the Lord, he always finds the perfection in my imperfection, he thinks I am beautiful when I don’t always see myself as beautiful, he walks through the flame for me even though I know I don’t deserve it, he tries his best to bring me happiness in my times of sorrow, he pushes me to succeed in everything I do, he desires to lay his heart out on the line for me, he makes me feel safe, he comforts me when I am broken, he sees past my diabetes (when a lot of people do not), he shows me what Christ-like love looks like, and he finds the happiness with me during the mundane of life.” Like I said, my answer is a little bit more complicated, but this is the true reality of what love is in my life.

Every day is a commitment. We either have the choice to love each other or not love each other. Love is an act, not a feeling. Showing love is greater than what words could ever do. In reality, sunshine and rainbows will disappear, and the storms will come. When you are in a relationship, you both have to choose to endure those storms together. Those storms may be out of your control. They may come from outsiders, but those storms are the things that make you stronger and help you love each other even better. Those are the things in life that test you as a couple, but they are the things that make you humble and drive you closer to the Lord and to each other.

Everyone has a different story, everyone will have different experiences, and everyone’s definition of love is subjective. I can definitely say that the Lord has blessed me in so many ways, and I can never thank Him enough. The Lord will always be my first love, and I thank the Lord for the blessing and the love He has given me through Patrick. I pray that the Lord continues to use us for His glory, and I pray that we are both a representation of God’s love to one another.

Patrick, thank you for doing what you do for me. Thank you for always being there. Thank you for encouraging me and for helping me find the courage I had hidden inside of me. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me when I rant or when I cry. Thank you for making me laugh and for being a kid with me. Thank you for being my sunshine in the middle of the darkness. Thank you for being the awesome man of God you are. Most of all, thank you for choosing me.

P.S. I choose you too. Always and forever.