What does loving in the Spirit of Christ Really Mean?

Love bolsters marriage and holds it steady through the “richer or poorer times” and the “better or worse” moments that challenge any and all wedding journeys.  Scriptures coaxes us, whether married or single, to live in the Spirit and not by the Flesh.  When we live in the Spirit, we are simply being clear that Jesus Christ ‘ message is alive in us and our  “flesh does not have the last word”—our heart does!! When we live our lives as Christ invites us to do, we are  “loving God, His Father “ as Jesus does, and then “loving others by serving them”-- and not using them for our own pleasures.” When we love in this way, we are on the road to living in the Spirit.

Sarah and Jim were married for forty years and looking forward to retiring on the Outer Banks.  With their four children all grown and building families of their own, Sarah and Jim were ready. A month after arriving in Kitty Hawk, Sarah suffered a debilitating stroke that left her physically impaired. 

While in the hospital Sarah wondered how Jim was going to manage this unforeseen setback. When she asked him, he simply replied. “As long as we’re together, I look forward to everyday of it.” And so they did, sharing a love alive with Christ’s Spirit “for better or worse,  in sickness and in health!”

Pope Francis shares this love too, especially when he   “sees people first.” What Pope Francis sees: “ are persons beloved by God.”   St Paul in First Corinthians also shows us how to “see people first” when he writes, “ Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous, love is not pompous. Love is not inflated, it is not rude, love does not seek its own interests.”  And Jesus‘ whole life and death is about God, His Father’s interests and not His own.

God in creating us, and His Son, Jesus in saving us put their lives on hold for us. This is called unconditional love.  It is not about tearing down or possessing the one we love, but allowing our love to free another to be “who they are, and to be that well as a testament to the master craftsman who created them.” (DeSales)

And this real love is the true love that flows through the hearts of married couples. It is a serving love and not a taking love. And when we love in this way, we are giving what’s best for our beloved’s soul –the very Spirit of Christ.