14 Seeing God’s Eternal Power and Divine Nature Sacrificial Love – There is another love that is so crucial it is at the very heart of our development and well being as individuals. This love is loyal and steadfast in its commitment. This love is sacrificial and is willing to spend itself for the benefit of another. Romantic love is powerful and delightful, but it is fickle without this loyal, sacrificial love. This love is essential for every husband and wife to truly devel- op and flourish in their marriage, and this loyal love is essential to the healthy development of every child. All of us recognize the effects of this loyal love. We see the effects of this love in married couples who have warm and caring relationships after many years of both sacrifice and loyalty to each other. And we can recognize the ef- fects of this sacrificial love when we see a well developed child who is obedient, bright-eyed, alert, helpful, disciplined, respectful, and curious. But the question is this: Why do we need this loyal, sacrificial love for healthy development? And this is the answer: God has made you and I in His image! Just as God desires to give and receive loyal, sacrificial love, He also created us with the same desires. But many may say - Wait just a minute! I have rarely experienced loyal love. My relationships with my father and mother were not good, and my marriage has not been one of loyal love. This lack of loyal love has hurt you deeply. It almost seems too obvious to mention, but this deep hurt is a very clear proof that all of us need sacrificial love. If we all need loyal, sacri- ficial love why are so many running around like lustful dogs from one disloyal relationship to another and calling it love? And why do we idolize people on TV and in the movies who promote these lustful and disloyal relationships? Our lives and our families are broken and con- fused, yet we continue to run after the very things that are destroying us. We desperately need to change - But how do we change? On page 13 there is a Bible verse that will help you understand how your life can be changed - really changed!