I’m so incredibly thankful that God allowed me to meet Joshua during my first year of college. We quickly became best friends and eventually started dating. I have loved him more and more everyday since then. He is my person, and I’m blessed to have already spent a year of my life loving him unconditionally. Our relationship has taught me a lot, and really allowed me to grow as a person. So, here’s what I’ve learned during this past year:
I learned how to love someone unconditionally.
This means that I love him despite all of his flaws and his past. I know about all of these things, and I love him despite these things. I love him for who he is. I love him because he wants to keep God at the center of our relationship and build our love on the foundation of Christ. I love him because we can take our relationship slowly, and I know he would never try to pressure me into anything. I love him because of his sweet spirit, kind heart and willingness to help others. I love him because he has seen me at my worst, he’s seen me at my best, and he has loved me equally both ways. I love him when I’m upset at him. I love him when we disagree on things. There’s nothing he could do to make me love him any less. It’s unconditional love.
I learned how to express my thoughts and feelings to someone else.
It’s not always easy sharing the way I’m feeling or the thoughts I’m thinking. I have realized how important it is to express these things with my boyfriend, though. As much as I want him to be able to read my mind all the time, that’s just not going to happen. So, if I want him to know something, I have to tell him. Expressing these emotions and thoughts enables us to grow closer to one another. It’s a great way to bond.
I learned how to really communicate.
Communication plays a huge role in a relationship. A successful relationship will have two people who actively communicate openly and truthfully with one another. My boyfriend and I talk about everything, big and small. We love talking to each other, and we rarely get tired of just talking. I am constantly learning new things about him just by having simple conversations. We both opted to be completely honest with each other. We talk about the hard topics, and we admit when we’re the one wrong. We talk our way through every issue that arises, and we never ever go to bed mad at each other.
I learned how to love myself even when it’s hard.
My boyfriend never fails to remind me of my positive attributes. He makes me feel beautiful everyday. He treats me like a queen, even when I don’t treat him like a king. He has and continues to show me all the admirable traits I possess. He taught me not to care what anyone else thinks about me. It’s easy to get wrapped up in insecurities, but he always brings me back to reality, which is a much nicer place. My boyfriend reminds me of the reasons I should love myself; the biggest reason being God created me in His image the way He wanted me to be.
I learned how to truly forgive someone.
I’ve never had someone test my patience as much as this man has. He really pushes my buttons sometimes. We have disagreements. We argue about silly things, and we argue about important things. Though I believe my boyfriend is perfect, I know he is far from a perfect human being. There have been plenty of times where he has messed up or said something he shouldn’t have. We’re human; it happens. The important thing is that I forgive him during these times, and I mean truly forgive him. Have you ever heard of the saying “forgive and forget?” Well, this is how I live my life. This means I forget whatever it was after I forgive him. This means I don’t bring these things up just to throw it in his face. This means I have no bitterness left in me. And, at the end of the day, I love him just as much as I did before. Forgiveness is so very important in a relationship because we all mess up at times. Knowing that you’ll be forgiven is such a comforting thing.