Dear Pastor,

I believe that one can control who one falls in love with, but that it is not an easy task. Being attracted to a person is a very different thing, as I have been attracted to strangers but never loved them. It takes a lot of effort not to allow one's self to fall in love with someone else. Distance and minimal contact do the trick for me. Love you.

L.P., Jamaica

Dear L.P.,

Self-control is paramount in matters of the heart. If one finds himself falling in love with another and he sees danger, he has to learn to control his feelings. Sometimes two friends (girls) fall in love with the same man and the man is not aware of it. But the two girls talk about it and eventually one backs down, so to speak, and allows the other to develop a relationship with the guy.

Many people have fallen in love. But the persons with whom they fall in love are not even aware of it. But such persons have had to exercise self-control. Some women go to their graves loving some men and many of these men are married. But they have had to accept that because of their marital status they could not become involved.

One song writer says "love is a very splendid thing." But I say to you, that love can cause people to become very depressed when it cannot have its own way, so to speak.

Pastor