Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Love story of Billy and Ruth Graham

Hey friends, I've been perusing Solomon's love notes recently just to get myself VERY assured and convinced of God's love and my role as an intimate lover. I've been overly distracted though and I can barely sit with God as He so desires but I'm learning to take one day at a time closer to his heart . Friends the more we know God(by pressing into Him) NOT by getting involved in activities and practising religion but KNOWING HIM intimately,the more we know HIS LOVE. His love will be tested a lot by stormy and thorny situations but we MUST still love him because he so desires we love him right back. God first loved us and gave his life for us, ours is to love in return.

In studying Solomon's today, I stumbled on this sweet Love story of Billy and Ruth Graham- by their daughter Gigi Graham Tchividjian- to buttress my point. Pls read carefully:

"There is no greater love than the love of God. However,here on earth God has given us certain relationships that give us a taste of or a glimpse into His divine love.
The first relationship that was created and ordained by God to help us understand in some small measure the greatness of His love is the MARRIAGE relationship. A well-balanced, loving marriage relationship is the nearest thing to "heaven on earth", as so many of our writers have reminded us. Scriptures includes many comparisons between our relationship with God and the marriage relationship.
I believe that one of the reasons that I came to know and love the Lord at an early age was because I saw His love manifest in the marriage relationship around ‎​​me. From the time I was a very young girl, I knew Mother and Daddy loved each other. They were obviously sweethearts,and after almost sixty years of marriage, they are lovers still... Mother and Daddy's marriage is an exception and not necessarily an example. God picked a very special woman and a very special man to do a very special job. Young Christians today can't look at Ruth and Billy Graham as an example of a "normal" marriage. So in that sense, I don't know whether I was fortunate or unfortunate. But from the moment I could sense things, I knew Mother and Daddy loved each other deeply and dearly. Even today in their older age, whenever I'm with them, Daddy's eyes light up and his demeanour changes when Mother is in the room. And Mother's eyes light up and she becomes happy and excited when he comes into the room. So I know there is a real love match there. It was a great sacrifice for them to be apart so much of the time because they were and are deeply in love.
One of the major magazines came out with an issue od the one hundred greatest love stories of the century. All kinds of celebrities were featured. And tucked in with the rest was a very small picture of Mother and Daddy. I looked at the other "great love stories" and thought, MOST OF THESE SO-CALLED LOVE STORIES HAVE ENDED in divorce,and many are not even ‎​married so what exactly does this culture perceive as love?
Here is a couple who have been ‎​MARRIED almost sixty year,still together and still in love. They have ENDURED ups and downs, hardships, stress, separations, sadness and loneliness as well as happy times. And their love story is tucked in between notorious love stories that have not lasted? Which is the true example of love?"

Need I say more,this story has left ‎​​me with a knowing that God's love endures forever,His love is weigh too deep,His love is a mystery and a replica of the marriage relationship HE(God) ALONE INSTITUTED FOR MAN AND WOMAN(only) which is a picture of CHRIST and the CHURCH.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

.....HIS love is UNCONDITIONAL.. not by what we do or don't do.

N.I.L (Naijamum in London) said...

Agree with Ibhade
Real love means not having to judge or keep malice
Real love also respects each other's individuality.....and does not try to change each other

enybees-hub said...

True Ibhade its Unconditional....

@Naija mum,as love consumes my heart then will I know how to respect another and not keep grudges, you're right

stelzz said...

very good love story.it just reminds me of myself and my husband even though we've been married less than a year *wink*. The characteristics of pure undiluted love can be found in 1 corinthians 13 and also in the example of God sending Jesus to die for us. Not everyone is even able to receive love despite the fact that love may be all around them. Thank God for His love which is the ultimate. I pray He fills us with the kind of love which He desires for us to have

Dee! said...

Yes! Love! It is ALL about the unconditional LOVE of God! GOD IS LOVE!

Thanks for sharing!

os said...

Mmmm... Deep. The God-kind of love...

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness! See the true example of true love! I have always followed this man since young when my Dad bought some of his VHS for us to watch; I admire almost everything about him. What a true man of God.

- LDP

Gospel Girl said...

I cannot even begin to fathom the love of God...truly amazing...

Unknown said...

God's love is the only love we can depend on. It is so unconditional it makes me feel guilty all the time X_x

Adiya
Muse Origins (Creative Nigerian Features)
Muse Origins

Unknown said...

That story really made me wonder about how far marriages (even christian marriages) have fallen below the standard God set. And it all goes back to the love of God, like you rightly pointed out. The love of God is expressive, not just words on paper, and I cannot imagine having the love of God abide in your heart and not love those around you (especially your spouse). Ruth and Billy Graham's love was special...I personally love seeing older people in love. It speaks volumes.

dosh said...

I don't even know why but this post made me teary eyed

No, i know why! it's because i have experienced God's love and somehow i know that that isn't even all of it. Sometimes, even when i'm struggling with sin that's when God blesses -or should i say embarrasses?- me with love.

God's love is the truest, purest thing on earth. God bless you for sharing

Ginger said...

I have learnt that Love is a doing word!! You make that decision over and over to keep loving no matter what..with His Grace of course. We do it for our kids, why cant partners do it for themselves?