"WHEN I FALL IN LOVE, / It will be forever, / Or I'll never fall in love; / In a restless world like this is, / Love has ended before it's begun."

The timeless words of Nat King Cole. They embody the gallant nobility yet the poignant tragedy of human love. Throughout history, mankind has always had the noble intention of finding one person with whom to spend a lifetime—someone to love and be loved by, in sickness and in health, until the last breaths of life. Yet time and time again, it seems the ardent power of love's initial fire slowly dies down, cooling to mere glowing embers, and eventually to silent coldness. Against the wearing forces of time and circumstance, it seems that love too often fails.

Though we all understand this tragic reality, we still search endlessly for the perfect love. Many times, our endeavors to find a lasting relationship are tenuous and end up in failure, disappointment, or even a despondent bitterness. We are deeply hurt within, and we swear to ourselves to give up on love forever. Yet as the weeks and months pass, we realize that we simply cannot go on living in utter loneliness. So again we throw ourselves into the melee of romance, hoping this time that—by chance—we'll find the right one. All too often, it isn't, and we are again left in pain and sorrow. And so we live our lives in this harsh reality we know as love, silently dreaming of a time when it will really last.

Love is a paradox, an agonizing mystery which has no solution. It spurs the heart into action, yet does not console it when broken. It promises a lifetime, yet delivers only a moment. And in our experience, one realization always rings true: though we all desire to love, so often our love runs short and cannot be sustained. Perhaps we have dismissed such realities as "the way life is," or "the way things work." But deep within, we know this is not true. Though our love sometimes is hollow, feeble, and unable to stand, we realize within that real love is something more. Real love is steadfast, weighty, unchangeable, unlimited by time and space. Yet this reality of love, which we know exists somewhere, seems to elude us time and time again.

The secret to the perplexity of love originates in an action that took place long ago. It is an action profoundly spoken of in God's Word: "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). God's Word reveals that we are made in His image and likeness; that is, we are created with the characteristics of God Himself. God is good, so we inherently desire to be good. God is righteous, so something within beckons us to be righteous. And perhaps the most fundamental attribute that God possesses is love. God is love, and He loves utterly. Therefore, man also has the desire, the capacity, and even the innate need to love. Man loves because he is designed according to the God who loves.

However, if man is made in such an intricate and particular way, why is his love still ever short and ever failing? The answer can be seen from the principle in Colossians 2:17, which speaks of "a shadow of the things to come." Indeed man has the capacity and desire to love, yet even this powerful driving force is merely a shadow, like a projection of a solid object against a wall. It possesses form, shape, animation, and movement. It seems so real, so genuine, so active, and so alive. Yet when you come to touch it for substance, when circumstances test and try it, it seems love vanishes. It disappears. It has no true weight. This shadow of human love is seemingly all-powerful, all-conquering, and able to withstand any trial. In actuality, it is merely an image, a projection on a wall.

If man is the shadow, what is the substance, the object from which the shadow is derived? The substance, the reality, is Christ. Christ is the genuine, substantial, and weighty reality of love. His love is like a rock—unchangeable, immovable, steady, firm. His is a love which is deep, eternal, which never fades, and which never fails. His ability to love surpasses every barrier and transcends every obstacle. And in actuality, Christ not only loves, but He is love itself 1 John 4:16. His person, His life-essence, is love.

In our lives, we often try to catch the shadow of love, to pin it down, to give it substance by our effort or by our dreams. But in the end, a shadow is a shadow and nothing more. Our real intrinsic need is Christ. We need Christ to come inside of us and give substance to our shadow of love. We need our love capacity to be filled with His essence and nature. When we use our shadow love, we only fail and fall into bitterness and despair. When we receive Christ as love into us, our ability to love is uplifted, strengthened, and enriched, making it substantial and inexhaustible.

Today this Christ is available to fill us with His divine love. He has become a man and has died on the cross to save us from our sins. He has resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit to enter into us. The only thing we need to do is let Him in. We simply need to open our heart and pray in a genuine way: "Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that my love is just a shadow, but Your love is real. Come into me as my life and my love. Save me from all my failing efforts, and become my ability to love." When you pray in this simple way, the unlimited and boundless God will come to fill you with His divine love (Romans 5:5). You will possess and experience the reality and true substance of love itself, which is simply the person Jesus Christ.

To open yourself to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your life and love, please pray the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I open my heart to You. Lord, I believe into You as the reality of love. Lord Jesus, I need You. Forgive me of all my failures and sins. Come into me and fill me with Your life and Your love. Lord, I love You. Thank You for saving me.