In The Seven Laws Of Love, Dave Willis gives us some highly practical, biblically-based counsel for investing in all of our relationships. Normally when I share quotes from books, I share all of them at once, but for this book I felt like it would be good to share these quotes a bit more slowly, to give you time to read them and apply them.
The seven laws Dave identifies are:
- Love requires commitment (read the quotes here)
- Love selflessly sacrifices (read the quotes here)
- Love speaks truth (read the quotes here)
- Love conquers fear (read the quotes here)
- Love offers grace (read the quotes here)
- Love brings healing
- Love lives forever
From law #6, here are some quotes on healing—
“Love requires vulnerability, and when we feel like we’ve been in an exposed position and then experienced rejection, our defense mechanisms can actually work against us and sabotage our current relationships. We tend to militantly safeguard certain parts of ourselves in order to prevent the same kind of humiliation or rejection we have felt in the past.”
“The more you love someone, the more ability that person will have to hurt you; but until you give a person the ability to hurt you (vulnerability), you’ll never be able to truly experience love. This reality keeps some people from wholeheartedly committing to a relationship, because they’re trying to protect their hearts from being wounded again. But if were not careful, our wounds from the past can create new wounds in the present. It is a catch-22 that can keep us in perpetual dysfunction in our relationships until we become intentional about healing from the past and moving forward in a healthy way.”
“Sometimes we can subconsciously do things to make ourselves seem ugly or intimidating to drive people away, because were afraid if we let others close to us, we’ll only be hurt again. This kind of behavior might give us the illusion of power and safety that comes from isolation, but it will also hold us captive in a prison of solitude where we never experience true love. Whatever you may have done or whatever may have been done to wound you in the past, healing is possible. God wants you to live a life of love. He wants you to experience rich, meaningful relationships. He wants to bring you to a place of healing so you can experience life and love in all of its fullness.”
“Healing from a broken heart isn’t the result of mere time and effort. It comes when we put our trust in the Healer of our hearts.”
“Don’t let your love be an unspoken assumption. Make sure your loved ones know exactly how much you love them because your words and actions make it clear.”
“An encounter with Jesus always has the power to bring healing. When love is present, healing is present. It won’t always look miraculous, but it will always make a difference.”
“Sometimes God uses prayer to change the situation, and sometimes He uses prayer to change our own perspective about the situation, but either way, He’s always doing something positive through prayer.”
Check out my review of The Seven Laws Of Love by clicking here.
Watch for the last set quotes from the other laws of love explained in this book later this week.
Craig T. Owens 