As humans, we all crave to be part of a great love story. As children, we dream of it. As adults, we pursue it, sometimes to our detriment. In old age, we lament it if it was never found or bask in it if we experienced it. But hope for it rarely fades.
Passion is far and away the most vital element of a memorable and epic love story. It’s not enough for a character to merely desire love. Rather, for some reason love must seem necessary and vital in some way. There is no rule book for passion. But it must be compelling…so compelling that the character will do anything and everything necessary while striving to fulfill that love.
A remarkable love story is unpredictable. The ending may be perfect or bittersweet. Or it may involve elements of both. It is tempting for a writer to think that a love story must tie up all loose ends with an ideal ending. However, a great love story is often heart-wrenching, emotional, traumatic, unpredictable, touching and so much more. Many times, it has a surprising twist that delights the reader.
Monumental love stories evoke powerful emotions from the readers, making the reader experience something that powerfully resonates with what people desire in life. That love becomes something worth sacrificing for.
Even in an imperfect world that works to keep people apart, against all odds love is perfectly built. Love stories show that hope can be found in an otherwise hopeless world or situation. They show how meeting the person who can change your life pulls the loneliness from a person’s soul. Most of the characters are somewhat flawed, allowing the reader to identify with the fate of the human condition.
And there can be no great love story without conflict, sacrifice, and serendipity. No one can relate to a perfect life. And no compelling story is without pain, suffering, discord, and drama. The threat to the lovers can often seem insurmountable. We want to believe that love can conquer all, but at some point in the story, love looks destined to failure.
Yet true love is stubborn to a fault. It thrives in the face of poor odds. It is often not sensible, not rational, not popular, nor convenient. True love transforms the lovers. It is never one-sided, but there may be times of separation and confusion. That is inevitable. Real trust is gained not from understanding the motives of the other person, but in understanding his/her character.
There is satisfaction and great comfort in trusting another’s promises, in leaning on a person, in resting in the fact that the other person desires you and wants the best for you. Where there is love, there is always great hope. It gives us the strength to make leaps of faith, overcome fears, and speak out.
Even when our personal love stories fail to produce all we desire, there is still hope. For we can be a part of the greatest love story of all…Jesus. The week before Easter is called “Passion Week.” The name represents the passion by which Jesus willingly went to the cross for us…because he loves us. His story meets all the elements of a compelling love story.
His love was so great that he willingly went to the cross and died for us. He was not a good person to whom bad things happened. He is a fulfillment of Scripture and of God’s plan of redemption for me. I was worth sacrificing for. It is an unpredictable story of perfection in an imperfect world. It is heart-wrenching, emotional, tragic, touching, bittersweet, with discord and drama. His love works to bring those he loves to him in a world that seeks to tear them apart.
Just when it looked like he was destined to insurmountable failure, against all odds he rose to draw our flawed characters to him as we desperately crave his ability to comfort the loneliness of our souls. His love transforms those who love him in return. As we begin to understand his character, rather than question his motives, we find comfort and peace in knowing he desires the best for us and holds us in his protective arms. He gives us the strength to make leaps of faith and overcome fears and obstacles. Even in the face of adversity his love brings great trust and great hope. Even when we may feel separated or confused, it is a love that stands firm.
When my daughter was small, she got into a bad habit of waking in the middle of the night and crawling in bed with me. This went on for about a month. I knew it was not a healthy habit. So, after several weeks, she crept into bed with me one evening, and I picked her up and took her back to her own bed. She cried hysterically, and kept saying over and over again, “You don’t love me…if you loved me, you’d let me sleep with you. Why don’t you love me?” It broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Nevertheless, I kept trying to comfort her, rubbing her back, telling her that I would stay there until she fell asleep.
I wonder how many times I have reacted that way to God’s “answer” to my prayers. His timing is often not my timing. His way is often not my way (thank God!). His answer may be, “NO!”, just as it was with my daughter that night. There is a bigger picture that only our God sees.
May this time of year bring you closer to a love that will never fail…to a life of adventure with an unpredictable, unimaginable love of a lifetime!
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Anne Hope is the award winning author of Bent Pages...a sharp, funny, and deeply inspirational narrative. Kindle version of the award winning, "Bent Pages" is now on sale at Amazon!
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