GOD AND ROMANCE
I dedicate this blog post to my recently married daughter April and her new husband, Justin. My heart overflows with joy for them. May their future be bright and blessed by God.
Today in many countries, certain cultures arrange marriages. Sometimes romantic gestures and moments accompany those arrangements and sometimes not. As a Christian romance novelist, I questioned the real importance of romance to God. Is romance a man-created, frivolous, nonsensical, and unnecessary thing in the eyes of the Lord? I researched and gave this some thought.
“When [Rebekah] saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.” Genesis 24:64 KJV. It might indicate she felt an attraction to him from first sight. Also, in Genesis, Jacob’s love for Rachel was so strong that he was willing to work and wait for seven years in order to marry her. After he was tricked, he had to wait another seven years, but his love for Rachel burned strong within him. Sampson, Ruth, and Esther are all examples of passion, devotion, and attraction. Ruth and Esther have their own books named after them in the Old Testament, and God used an element of romance to bring about His will.
I found that romantic desire is included in God’s word. If you don’t agree, then take a little time and read Song of Solomon, passages that are often used by pastors and counselors alike to revive the embers of a once flaming love of couples requiring marital counseling. In chapter 1, verse 2, it says “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is better than wine,” and verse 10, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away,” or even verse 16, “My beloved is mine, and I am his…” verse 17, “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away…”
Falling in love, walking down the aisle and saying “I do” is the easy part. Making a life together as a family is often hard and requires work. Two keys to being successful in obtaining a joy-filled marriage is making God the head of your home and remembering to romance your spouse. Whether it be date night or a normal day, esteem your spouse higher than yourself as you serve one another.
I make no apologies for writing Christian romance and hope my novels bring honor to God by presenting a Christian worldview of putting Him first and others above yourself. This doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes along the way. Everyone does, but it’s the way we handle them that matters.
In Melissa’s Fate, Phil and Beth begin with deception, but a miracle from the Almighty unites them in the trial of their lives that helps them find God and their love for one another. In Impossible Fate, David, a devout Christian, falls in love with Aliyah, an observant Jew. At first, all they understand is the love they feel for each other, but when they try to stay together, the difference in their beliefs almost make it impossible. For Aliyah, Christ is a symbol of Hitler, until she comes face-to-face with David’s faith.
My first two books are the true story of my mother. The theme for Pathways of the Heart is Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his ways pure, by living according to your word.” God blessed Clella, my mother, and Kenneth with love, but as the Great Depression made primitive life even harder, Kenneth turns to drinking, gambling, and other women. Clella endeavors to be a Proverbs 31 woman, but her desire for romantic love and the temptation of a younger man eventually leads her into a better understanding of her God and All That Matters.