Richard Bach famously said that “real love stories never have endings.” It’s taken me a while to truly grasp this profound insight.

Real love is not the initial highs you feel at the beginning of a relationship, the fluttering butterflies of deep sexual attraction, or the fun activities you share together. These are fleeting moments of joy and excitement, but they do not define real love.

Deep love only develops when you see the negative traits of the other—the addictions and the bad habits and the ugly moments . It manifests when every fiber of your being wants to run away and leave, but you choose to stay. It’s in these moments that divine intervention takes place, and God works to mold us. God is love, and those who love know God.

Real love stories cannot endure unless you embody the true verses from the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

Love is not about finding someone perfect; it’s about loving someone in their imperfections. Through various disappointments and trials, perfect love emerges. It’s a deliberate act, a decision.

Real love, as I’m discovering now, is not possible unless you ‘die’ to yourself and your ego of control. It requires an abandonment of what you think and feel , and surrender to the universe. It’s an incredibly humbling experience, one that brings you closer to understanding that love is something that s already within you.