I must admit — I’m not a huge fan of teleseryes. Actually, I’m not a fan of TV in general (though I must admit it has its uses!). We try to limit TV/screen time at home as much as possible.

So you may be wondering why I’m writing about “Forevermore,” which finally ended its run on TV last night. The show, which my mother and mother-in-law (along with millions of other viewers, I bet!) love to watch because of its “kilig“ moments, ended with the two main characters, Alexander Grande III or “Xander” (portrayed by Enrique Gil) and Maria Agnes Calay or “Agnes” (Liza Soberano) getting engaged on top of a mountain, in the rain.

As with other teleseryes focusing on “true love” though, the couple had their share of difficulties and challenges before getting to their “Forever,” but I will not go into detail here (mostly because I didn’t follow the show closely in the first place, ha, ha!).

I will, however, share what I learned (or rather, recalled) about true love from watching the show. If you’re a single looking to be in a relationship, or are already in one, or even if you’re already married, I pray this will be useful to you somehow! 🙂

1. True love can change people.

Xander was a “broken” man when he met Agnes. He seemed to have no sense of direction (coming from a broken family, which, in reality, really can cause one to have anxieties and problems) until a turn of events had him working in the strawberry farm owned by Agnes’s father.

Xander ends up a changed man — mostly because of Agnes, but also because of the La Presa community. True love, I believe, should come not only from one specific person but from other people around you, too.

Of course, it goes to show that the truest love ever can only come from God. If we refer to 1 Corinthians 13, we can see all the qualities of “true love,” as described by Saint Paul — qualities that describe our Lord Himself! 🙂

So, if you’re a single person looking for a spouse or are already in a relationship, try to keep Saint Paul’s description of love in mind. Try to live out those characteristics, too — because, in reality, if you want to experience true love, you should also try to change yourself (something which I am STILL working on!).

2. True love requires sacrifice, selflessness and hard work.

If you’re a follower of the “Forevermore” series, you’ll know that both Xander and Agnes had to make lots of sacrifices in their relationship. I believe this applies to any relationship, but especially that between husband and wife (or boyfriend and girlfriend who have a vision for marriage).

Also, being selfish will not benefit anyone in the relationship, and may even cause others to be hurt. Case in point when referring to “Forevermore” — Xander’s new girlfriend, Alexandra Pante, who was portrayed by Erich Gonzales, whom Xander ends up ditching because he realizes that he is still in love with Agnes. In last night’s episode, Xander made a joke upon Alexandra’s request, to make her stop crying.

He asked her, “Anong tawag mo sa fish na kasing guwapo ko?” to which she replied, “Ano?”

Xander answered sadly: “Sel-fish.”

So yes, we must learn to be selfless when it comes to love (refer again to 1 Corinthians 13).

We must also be willing to work hard at our relationships. We must be open to each other, and willing to forgive each other when needed. (Yup, still working on this myself, too!)

3.  When it comes to true love, there is no such thing as “happily ever after.”

Let me tell you a secret (ok, so it won’t be a secret anymore now, but still) : Last week, my husband and I got into a huge fight (gasp! YES, we’re human! We’re not perfect!).

I won’t go into the details, but it was mainly because of a lack in communication mixed with insensitivity (mostly on my part). Both of us were very, very hurt, and we only patched things up after a few days of being away from each other (the fight happened just before the kids and I were about to leave home to spend time with my mom).

Why am I telling you this? Why am I so “my-life-is-an-open-book” sometimes?

Because I want you to know that love — true love — isn’t a “bed of roses” all the time. In fact, there is no such thing as “happily ever after.”

However, by God’s grace, there can be a “happily along the way to the true Forever.” “Forever,” at least in my opinion, is eternal life with God. The journey to that Forever can be happy, whether you are married or not.

If you are married though, it can be a lot happier if you let God guide you and your spouse, and put Him at the center of your relationship.

SO… if you want to experience “Forevermore” in your own life, remember these three points.

Most of all, remember that God is the ultimate source of True Love. Before we can love others, we must allow Him to love us, change us, mold us (yup, another thing I am still working on!). It is He who can transform the ugly into beautiful, the sinner into saint, the love-less into love-filled! 🙂

What lessons on love did you learn from “Forevermore”? If you’re not a fan of the show, do you have lessons on love that you’d want to share with us? Feel free to leave a comment! 🙂