Here's the happily ever after:

Once upon a time we got through the hard stuff and grew old together without killing each other first.

But seriously...

Nothing good comes easy. It means so much more to look back at your life and your relationships and say, "I didn't give up. And it was worth it." Here's why.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4: 2-3

They're flawed.

Although relationships are imperfect, they allow us to love - truly love. Each and every one is designed by God to inspire, push, and fulfill us. When we learn to forgive despite pain, accept despite misunderstanding, and invest despite pride and fear, we experience the greatest blessing of God's creation: lasting connection and unconditional love.

Since relationships exist in a broken state, they only endure with continuous effort: a decision to wake up every morning and win that person again as if it's the very first time you saw them; or as if it's the last time you'll ever see them, 'cause it could be. Real relationships are perfectly imperfect and created by God purposely for you.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9

So don't give up. Please. For your sake, and theirs, and mine.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

They grow.

Each day you spend with a person, every time he/she opens up to you, each time you get to know him/her more, and each moment you have to choose the good and the bad, you both grow up just a tiny bit more. When you mature and see the world through a new perspective, you evolve your love for yourself and others, your passions and ways to experience the world, and your versions of success.

And when you find more of yourself, you and other people either grow together - or grow apart.

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13: 11-13

Relationships are complicated. But if people choose to be honest about what they are feeling - their fears, insecurities, doubts, hopes, and dreams - then people can discern and pray about the next step and in what direction they should grow.

"As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." - Ephesians 4: 13-15

They impact.

Even if your relationship falls apart, forever or for now, you can choose to weave each thread of experience into the tapestry of your life as a cherished memory and lesson learned - another part of your masterpiece. When you love someone - no matter what they've done, no matter what happened between you two - you can choose to not give up on that person: even if you only do it in your mind, prayers, and heart from a distance.

The one thing that matters - and the only thing that heals and restores what was lost or helps you move on - is loving anyway.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

They're vulnerable.

Love isn't a fairytale; it's a confessional. What I mean is every relationship is a stained glass window, and every piece is different and special.

It can easily break and shatter, but when you look at it in the light - see the hued reflections scattered across the walls and floors and take a moment to take it in - you'll see the final, breathtaking image complete in all its glory: the fragments and jagged edges glued together in the most unpredictable and beautiful way. When two people mold together, they expose and confess themselves.

And it's scary. But if we accept each other no matter what, it's the greatest testament to God's love imaginable. So love every single person who is in your life - or out of it. Remember to laugh, cry, sing and scream with them. And always forgive. Always.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." - Colossians 3: 12-14

Real relationships are created through hardships - accepting someone for their mistakes, strengths, weaknesses, uncertain future, and every changing heart. If you choose to devote yourself to someone and grow with them, you choose to create a new tapestry of memories, a sanctuary, and book of confessions where each person signs their name freely side-by-side.

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." - Colossians 3:14

Life's not a storybook; it's better. It's complicated, frustrating, and indescribably fulfilling. It's a real ever after.

So don't live a fable; live a reality. And don't give up, 'cause love is worth it.

"Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor." Proverbs 21:21