Grown Up Love

I got my first kiss from a girl in the back of a station wagon...on the way to church...I was 6 years old. I thought she was the one.  Shortly there after, my dad retired from the Air Force and we moved a thousand miles away.  I ain't considered her since.   The other day, Millie, she's 5,  was waiting on me in the hall at church.  One of the little boys that she is kinda cute on came by with his dad.  They got real close to each other and whispered and giggled for a minute together.  I came out of the office and we started to leave.  She looked up and said, "Me and him had a little 'date' there" and blushed.  She  made little quote marks with her hands when she said date.    Young love...real young love...that is when it is still cute.  Before long such a thing will scare me to death probably!
When you are a child you are expected to love like a child.  When you grow up, you ought to love like a grown up.  Paul put it this way, When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.- I Corinthians 13:11 (www.lifejournal.cc)
It is time to love like grownups.  I don't mean more physically.  Puberty and irresponsibility can take care of that.  I mean mature love.  Love that waits when you don't want to, smiles when you feel like you can't, hushes when you are dying to talk,  steps backwards when running ahead would be natural, sorrows instead of snickers, and rejoices instead of envying. Let's love- not just when it is easy or with who it is easy.   Let's love because Jesus taught us to.  Puppy love and pre-teen love are for puppies and pre-teens.  Let's grow up in Christ and love like Him.