Sure, Edward and Jacob's tortured recognition of the flawed and dangerous nature of any love they might ever offer Bella may at times come off as a bit cheesy and overdramatic. Outside of Hollywood, I'm almost certain no one has ever used the "I'm a vampire" or "I'm a werewolf" excuse as reason to bail out of a budding relationship. But in the same way that both Edward and Jacob push Bella away because they see their "monstrous" identities as both unworthy of her love and more likely to hurt her than help her, I'm willing to bet most of us have run away from love at least once because we also felt either too flawed to receive that love or too flawed to give it. For many, it is the thought in the back of our minds every time we stop returning calls of still relatively-new suitors. For some, it is the fear that suddenly shakes even the most long-term relationships the moment we begin to consider the lifelong promises of marriage. For others, it is the defeat we simply cannot shake when we come face to face with our failure to live up to one of those promises for even a moment.

However, as Bella demonstrates in her relationships with both Edward and Jacob, the fact that the two men in her life definitely have a bit of a dark side does not matter when it comes to her love. Even when she figures out what Jacob is, she still pursues a relationship with him. When he confesses that he fears completely losing himself inside his darker identity, she promises him that she will not allow that to happen and will always be there to tell him how special he is. When it comes to Edward, Bella even goes so far as to offer her life in place of his, a seemingly incomprehensible act to not only Edward but the entire vampire world who see themselves as soul-less, subhuman, and completely undeserving of any such sacrifice. And so is true of God's love for us.

Like Edward and Jacob, we too are far from perfect. Within each of us are thirsts for that which we are not meant to consume. In each of our lives are moments in which our anger has gotten the better of us and our ability to love others has seemingly crumbled before our eyes. But as Romans 5:8 reads: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." And in the same way that Bella's similar sacrificial offer speaks to her ability to see Edward as more than just the monster he believes himself to be, so too does Christ's sacrifice speak to the value within each of us that makes us not only deserving of his love but capable of bestowing that love on others. Sure, our ability to give and receive love may be flawed, but as 1 John 4:7 points out, true love originates in God, and as such can never fail. And while the notion of a love that has the power to both give more meaning to our present life than anything else and inspire us to want to live forever may seem utterly incomprehensible, as 1 John 4 also reminds us, it is right within our grasp.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. Continue: 1 2