Whatever happened to the exhilaration of the pursuit?
Where the man would charge in, caring not whether he risk even his life in order to rescue and woo the woman he loves, and he would forever protect, cherish, and lavish her and she him.
The pursuit of Love. And the pursuit of that special one we will lavish with our love.
Is it our fear of rejection?
Is it our wavering belief that such a thing even can exist?
Is it our dwindling expectations for what love truly is?
But really whatever happened to the pursuit at all?
In today's world a relationship more often than not seems to consist of "hey you're cute, you're funny, let's hook up and see what happens." And so we bounce from person to person, hoping that maybe something will click or work out or whatever and we'll find happiness and the white picket fence blah blah blah.
And we call that a relationship? This is what is supposed to lead us to the Love that we so desperately desire?
I'm not going to even attempt to describe what a perfect pursuit looks like, one because I have no idea, and two because I've come to believe that really there is no such thing as one perfect pursuit, because Love works in different people in different ways.
But what I will emphatically stress is just how awesome the pursuit is. The implications it can have, the treasures that it holds.
Erwin McManus was in the Middle East discussing with some Muslims the history of Christianity as a religion, and the question was brought up of why it was necessary for God to become human.
"I once met a girl named Kim. I pursued her with my love and pursued her with my love until I felt my love had captured her heart. So I asked her to be my wife, and she did not say yes.
"I was unrelenting and asked her again, pursuing her with my love, and I pursued her with my love until she said yes.
"I did not send my brother, nor did I send a friend. for in issues of love, you must go yourself.
"This is the story of God: He pursues you with His love and pursues you with His love, and you have perhaps not said yes. And even if you reject His love, He pursues you ever still. It was not enough to send an angel or a prophet or any other, for in issues of love, you must go yourself. And so God has come.
"This is the story of Jesus, that God has walked among us and He pursues us with His love. He is very familiar with rejection but is undeterred. And He is here even now, still pursuing you with His love...
"In that moment the story of Jesus was not about who is right and who is wrong, what God's name is and who His prophet is, but what exactly God's motivation toward humanity is. If the message that God wants to get across to us is just about getting our beliefs right, then He didn't need to come Himself. If God's entire intent was to clarify right from wrong, no personal visitation was necessary. If the ultimate end was simply to overwhelm us with the miraculous so that we would finally believe, then God taking on flesh and blood and walking among us was far from necessary. There is only one reason for God to come Himself, because in issues of love, you just can't have someone else stand in for you."
What a spectacular thought and image to carry with us into this Christmas season! A what an incredible reminder that this remarkable season is yet another depiction of how awesome the discovery and illustration of Love is.
God pursues us with His love, and He pursues us and pursues us. And if we also are to discover Love and show Love, what better way to do so than to follow the example of the One who is Love. And so I urge you, do not forget the pursuit. In the pursuit we can find so much joy, and we can learn exactly what it will take to win over another with our love. We can even learn quite a bit about Love along the way. This is how we grow, how we build a relationship, a friendship, how we learn about that certain special someone and the awesome things Love is working in each of your lives, and maybe even has waiting for you to uncover together.
So don't be deterred by the fear of rejection...
In Song of Solomon 3, "Solomon is describing the desperation that comes when we seem unable to capture the heart of the one we love. I wonder if it ever occurs to us that God feels like this. But if God's love is immeasurable and unending, as the Hebrews describe Him, how deep and profound must be His sense of sorrow and rejection. If anyone know the pain of a love unreturned, it must be God." (Erwin McManus)
...or a wavering belief that such a thing even can exist or dwindling expectations for what love truly is, because really these things should not be a part of our pursuit of Love. Not with the knowledge and hope that we have in the One who is Love.
So can we contemplate our departure from the exhilaration of the pursuit, and realize just how much we are missing out on?
We have been chosen. We have been pursued. And so in return should we. For we have also been rescued, wooed, protected, and lavished. By Love.
Us. Those who never fail to be foolish, to be utterly idiotic, to destroy that which we care about most, to turn our backs on the most incredible of everything life has to offer, to fill ourselves with pointless desire. We never fail to fail. And despite knowing all this, despite knowing that He would be killed in one of the most of gruesome of manners mankind has ever conceived, that we would beat him, cut him, spit in his face and laugh all the while, relishing in our miserable and depraved state, He still came. We ran and He chased. We cursed Him and He shouted out ballads of his passion. And then the love of His life crushed that life from Him, and yet He didn't let even that stop him, it didn't even slow Him down in the slightest! And He just loved all the more. And He has not stopped. No matter how many times we kill Him, He will not stop. Period. End of story. That is the power of the love of God.
And so in return should we choose and pursue. Pursue others. And pursue Love.
"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19
And Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Unconditional?
As long as she looks good...
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Sound familiar?
Whenever we think of "true love", we often picture the fairy tale fantasy, you know, the fairy tale every little girl dreams of. Prince Charming, charging in on his trusty steed, slaying any atrocious beast that dares threaten his love, the beautiful princess, and then sweeping her off of her feet, he says the perfect words and she responds in the perfect way, and they ride into the sunset where they live happily ever after. Clean cut, simple, and everyone ends up happy forever.
But in the realities of our experience, as we search out love in this world, how much more often do we realize that forever seems to have a very real beginning and an even more real end? And as we seek out love over and over and over again we are so many times drawn into this cycle of elation and then ultimately disappointment, until we are left struggling with the notion that maybe love just isn't all it's made out to be. That we should just be prepared to be let down, because we can never live up to the standards of love.
We can never meet the conditions necessary to see love thrive.
But let's think about this...we've already established that God is love. So if love truly does have conditions we must meet, then in order to discover the love of God, to be embraced and blessed by Him, there are also certain requirements that we must fulfill, right?
Pray every day.
Read your Bible.
Go to church.
Don't lie.
Honor your parents.
Don't envy.
Don't steal.
Don't think about that.
Don't say this.
Do this.
Do that.
And this. And that...and that...and that...
And if you don't, God is going to withhold that love until you submit to the system.
"What governments have not always been able to do, religions have accomplished with amazing effectiveness. They keep people in line...Ironically this is where so many have a problem with Jesus. For centuries the church has been telling us if we want God to love us, we need to follow the rules. It's been far more important to focus on the sin problem than the love problem. This is the only way the institution can maintain control over our lives. After all, if love is unconditional, what will keep them following our rules? Don't we want people, first and foremost, to be good? If our goal is to get people to conform, you can accomplish that without love, but you can't maintain a civilization without the rule of law....
What in the world would happen if people actually began discovering the actual message of Jesus Christ--that love is unconditional? What would happen if we began to realize that God was not, in face, waiting for us to earn His love, but that He was passionately pursuing us with His love? What would happen if the word got out that Jesus was offering His love freely and without condition?"
(Erwin McManus in "Soul Craving")
What indeed?
People, we're human. If it is at all possible, we are going to screw it up in some way shape or form. It's a fact of life, a harsh one yes but a fact nonetheless. Some guy named Murphy actually put it this way and I guess people thought it was so good they actually made it into a scientific law, Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
But that's the beauty of the Love of God. He doesn't care in the least. He already knows it's going to go wrong, and He simply does not care. Because His love is absolutely and forever without condition.
Sounds great.
As long as she looks good...
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Are we as humans really capable of reproducing such a seemingly impossible concept?
Erwim McManus goes on to say, "We know in the pit of our stomachs that if love is conditional, it can't really be love at all. We also know that if love is unconditional, we are neither the sources nor the instigators of such love, which again is a part of our conflict. We want what we do not give. We long for what we seem incapable of producing."
And here we come full circle. The love that we show others is the beautiful result of the Love that is flowing in and through us as we continue to learn and grow in our relationship with God, who just so happens to be Love itself. I mean we spit in His face, constantly and consistently turn our backs on Him, we even killed Him! Yet still He pursues us with reckless abandon. And as we learn of Him and His Love, so will we also be able to overcome the idiocies of our human nature and truly at least attempt to grasp the concept of Love being utterly unconditional. Easy? Oh no. But how often is it really? And how worth the effort of trying when compared with the sheer grandness of the reward.
And granted, there are definitely times when we just need to realize that something isn't working, especially if it is destructive in any way, but that doesn't mean that we should allow simple shortcomings to define the course of a relationship. Because how well aware we are that we all have them. But besides, we're talking about the discovery of Love here, not the fleeting feelings of a summer romance, though of course Love could be sowing its seeds through that as well. In any case it's yet another matter of wisdom. Thank God He promises to give it whenever we simply ask.
A thought. Something we could all use when honestly and passionately considering our discovery of the Love we so desperately desire.
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Sound familiar?
Whenever we think of "true love", we often picture the fairy tale fantasy, you know, the fairy tale every little girl dreams of. Prince Charming, charging in on his trusty steed, slaying any atrocious beast that dares threaten his love, the beautiful princess, and then sweeping her off of her feet, he says the perfect words and she responds in the perfect way, and they ride into the sunset where they live happily ever after. Clean cut, simple, and everyone ends up happy forever.
But in the realities of our experience, as we search out love in this world, how much more often do we realize that forever seems to have a very real beginning and an even more real end? And as we seek out love over and over and over again we are so many times drawn into this cycle of elation and then ultimately disappointment, until we are left struggling with the notion that maybe love just isn't all it's made out to be. That we should just be prepared to be let down, because we can never live up to the standards of love.
We can never meet the conditions necessary to see love thrive.
But let's think about this...we've already established that God is love. So if love truly does have conditions we must meet, then in order to discover the love of God, to be embraced and blessed by Him, there are also certain requirements that we must fulfill, right?
Pray every day.
Read your Bible.
Go to church.
Don't lie.
Honor your parents.
Don't envy.
Don't steal.
Don't think about that.
Don't say this.
Do this.
Do that.
And this. And that...and that...and that...
And if you don't, God is going to withhold that love until you submit to the system.
"What governments have not always been able to do, religions have accomplished with amazing effectiveness. They keep people in line...Ironically this is where so many have a problem with Jesus. For centuries the church has been telling us if we want God to love us, we need to follow the rules. It's been far more important to focus on the sin problem than the love problem. This is the only way the institution can maintain control over our lives. After all, if love is unconditional, what will keep them following our rules? Don't we want people, first and foremost, to be good? If our goal is to get people to conform, you can accomplish that without love, but you can't maintain a civilization without the rule of law....
What in the world would happen if people actually began discovering the actual message of Jesus Christ--that love is unconditional? What would happen if we began to realize that God was not, in face, waiting for us to earn His love, but that He was passionately pursuing us with His love? What would happen if the word got out that Jesus was offering His love freely and without condition?"
(Erwin McManus in "Soul Craving")
What indeed?
People, we're human. If it is at all possible, we are going to screw it up in some way shape or form. It's a fact of life, a harsh one yes but a fact nonetheless. Some guy named Murphy actually put it this way and I guess people thought it was so good they actually made it into a scientific law, Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
But that's the beauty of the Love of God. He doesn't care in the least. He already knows it's going to go wrong, and He simply does not care. Because His love is absolutely and forever without condition.
Sounds great.
As long as she looks good...
As long as he makes me feel good...
As long as she satisfies what I want...
As long as he makes me laugh...
As long as she doesn't hurt me...
As long as he doesn't hurt me...
Are we as humans really capable of reproducing such a seemingly impossible concept?
Erwim McManus goes on to say, "We know in the pit of our stomachs that if love is conditional, it can't really be love at all. We also know that if love is unconditional, we are neither the sources nor the instigators of such love, which again is a part of our conflict. We want what we do not give. We long for what we seem incapable of producing."
And here we come full circle. The love that we show others is the beautiful result of the Love that is flowing in and through us as we continue to learn and grow in our relationship with God, who just so happens to be Love itself. I mean we spit in His face, constantly and consistently turn our backs on Him, we even killed Him! Yet still He pursues us with reckless abandon. And as we learn of Him and His Love, so will we also be able to overcome the idiocies of our human nature and truly at least attempt to grasp the concept of Love being utterly unconditional. Easy? Oh no. But how often is it really? And how worth the effort of trying when compared with the sheer grandness of the reward.
And granted, there are definitely times when we just need to realize that something isn't working, especially if it is destructive in any way, but that doesn't mean that we should allow simple shortcomings to define the course of a relationship. Because how well aware we are that we all have them. But besides, we're talking about the discovery of Love here, not the fleeting feelings of a summer romance, though of course Love could be sowing its seeds through that as well. In any case it's yet another matter of wisdom. Thank God He promises to give it whenever we simply ask.
A thought. Something we could all use when honestly and passionately considering our discovery of the Love we so desperately desire.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
On A More Personal Note...Slightly Condensed
For those of you with slightly shorter attention spans, I have managed to reduce the length of this particular entry by about a third...still a stretch I know but bear with me it's good I promise!
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is by a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of uncovering understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (though I am not saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/7/08
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is by a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of uncovering understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (though I am not saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/7/08
Saturday, December 6, 2008
On A More Personal Note
Such a remarkable thought.
Unthinkable to the limitations of the human mind alone.
Sometimes seemingly beyond understanding at al.
A concept that is the most profound, the most powerful, the most absolutely essential of all knowable things.
A concept that so often drives us to wonder, to question, to doubt, even to feel such excruciating pain in the pit of our hearts that we wish to do nothing more kill it, bury it, and curl up in a ball and attempt to sleep away the agony that haunts us still.
But still. It is the very meaning of our existence, the purpose behind our creation, the reason we were placed on this earth and given these lives to begin with.
Love.
Wow.
Please, I now beg you to leave behind all preconceptions you have of Love, what you have picked up through relationships, through reading, through whatever avenue of learning you may have contrived of the nature of Love. For many different people have many different definitions for this thing they call "love", but who more to rely on for its definition, the knowledge and understanding of everything that is Love than the One who created it, the One who literally wrote the Book on it, the One who is it. And let me tell you, He has some dumbfounding things to say about it.
"This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."
Sacrifice.
And a verb if there ever was one.
"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
"This is love for God: to obey his commands."
Action.
The gravity of what I am attempting to convey is something that cannot possible be adequately put into words. The reality of Love, and the utterly immeasurable importance that we learn, that we love, that we lean to love, is something we Christians especially cannot risk to lose sight of, because it is what defines our very existence.
The war we find ourselves immersed in.
The sacrifice of Christ.
The hope we have.
The perseverance and patience we are urged to develop.
And of course, the relationships we build and nurture.
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
But I've said most of this before in some form or fashion, and so I now wish to move on to the driving thought behind the writing of this note.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping to the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (I am NOT saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/6/08
Unthinkable to the limitations of the human mind alone.
Sometimes seemingly beyond understanding at al.
A concept that is the most profound, the most powerful, the most absolutely essential of all knowable things.
A concept that so often drives us to wonder, to question, to doubt, even to feel such excruciating pain in the pit of our hearts that we wish to do nothing more kill it, bury it, and curl up in a ball and attempt to sleep away the agony that haunts us still.
But still. It is the very meaning of our existence, the purpose behind our creation, the reason we were placed on this earth and given these lives to begin with.
Love.
Wow.
Please, I now beg you to leave behind all preconceptions you have of Love, what you have picked up through relationships, through reading, through whatever avenue of learning you may have contrived of the nature of Love. For many different people have many different definitions for this thing they call "love", but who more to rely on for its definition, the knowledge and understanding of everything that is Love than the One who created it, the One who literally wrote the Book on it, the One who is it. And let me tell you, He has some dumbfounding things to say about it.
"This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."
Sacrifice.
And a verb if there ever was one.
"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
"This is love for God: to obey his commands."
Action.
The gravity of what I am attempting to convey is something that cannot possible be adequately put into words. The reality of Love, and the utterly immeasurable importance that we learn, that we love, that we lean to love, is something we Christians especially cannot risk to lose sight of, because it is what defines our very existence.
The war we find ourselves immersed in.
The sacrifice of Christ.
The hope we have.
The perseverance and patience we are urged to develop.
And of course, the relationships we build and nurture.
It all comes down to Love. It is all because of Love. Period.
But I've said most of this before in some form or fashion, and so I now wish to move on to the driving thought behind the writing of this note.
In our individual lives, how do we see Love, how do we show Love, how do we find Love? And this last question especially is where the meaning of this note rests. Because really it is a combination of the first two, first seeing Love and then showing Love, that we find Love.
Trying to find Love is something that everyone who has ever lived and will ever live has struggled tooth and nail with. But as Christians we've already found Love! So what's the big deal here? Shouldn't we be working on the seeing and showing parts?
But okay,that's not quite what I meant, so lets rewind and refocus to the first thing that probably popped into your mind when I said "finding Love," obviously finding Love with that certain special someone. A recurring thought in many of our minds, I do believe, and being so constantly personal this concept becomes just that much more essential for us to decipher.
So as we learn and learn to love, a task that undoubtedly will span through this life and even into the next, how do we discover this Love in the relationships we immerse ourselves in? And how do we find that certain special "Love" so many of us, especially those of us in the stage of life I as well am also enduring however begrudgingly at times, so desperately long for?
And the answer to this question is quite simple. It all goes back to what Love really is.
A verb.
We show Love, and we will discover it. As we continue to grow and learn about and in our relationship with our Father, and only when and as we do this, we learn Love, because obviously if we know Him and He is Love, then at the same time we know Love. And this is the underlying purpose behind anything and everything ever in this life, to know Him and at the same time to know His Love. And then to show that Love. And so we learn more. And we are able to show more.
And really, who can withstand the perfect, incredible Love of God when it is flat out staring them in the face? And especially when the one whose face it is staring into is at the same time so desperately grasping to the desire to learn about that same Love.
Because when we think about it, the Love working in us is the exact same Love that is working in them. End of discussion. And what awesome implications this can hold...
A word of caution though. Of course, just because that same Love is working in and through two people does not mean that Love has them working in the same direction at the same time, even in the exact same way. So yeah, it's risky. First we have to find a person that is desperately in Love with our God just as we are, a daunting task to be sure. Then, something that is beyond our control (and trust me I hate that fact just as much if not more than anyone) must be perfectly lined up, where the place the other finds themselves on the journey of discovering Love can coincide with your own path and the plan Love is working on in and through you. It's a timing issue simply put, and can often make or break a relationship. But then we remember that Love created time, knows all that occurs in time, and wants to see Love displayed and discovered as desperately as we do.
This is one of the most difficult things we will face in life, and it is a road that will most likely be strewn with pain beyond fair explanation. But really, when considering the reward, the joy, the chance of understanding of the the most remarkable concept in history, when the burden seems too much to bear we can just remember that the end will oh so justify the pain it took to get us there. And if things don't seem to be working out as perfectly as you had planned them to, maybe the position you yourself are in is simply one of building the gratuitous amounts of patience it takes when learning and showing Love (I am NOT saying this is always the case. But I can guarantee that some sort of lesson is being presented, such as maybe perseverance on the journey to finding that one who Love is working you towards, or any number of other things.)
And imperatively, the perspective must be maintained that really still the focus is on growing in and uncovering the astounding secrets of the Love God has for us, and that relationship we have with Him.
We must first make ourselves open to and transformed by that perfect Love. And I cannot emphasize this enough.
This is an outlet, a chance for us to use what we've learned, to show how brilliantly Love has changed us, and to praise Him for it, in every situation to lean on Him all the more, and for Him to reveal even more amazingly unthinkable things. It is a product of His desire to see our lives filled with complete and pure joy, and to eventually get but a taste of that incredible intimacy we will have with Him someday. But to love another with such reckless abandon as He has for us! The epitome of brilliant and beautiful perfection! But maybe that's just the hopeless romantic in me coming out. A book I read once described it as this: "He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes." But then I guess that goes into part two of this discussion, what happens once we have found that perfect person and timing, and then begin to develop that perfect Love. Another time perhaps...
Again I just managed to barely skim the on this specific topic, but then if I continued to ramble how many of you would actually continue to read, being as it is probably a miracle you've made it this far. So basically, I just wanted to say don't give up hope on Love! It is real and vibrant and so awesomely fantastic, and with its great risk comes so great a reward. And hopefully the recognition of some of these ideas, or those that these ideas may give life to, will aid you in your quest to learn of Love and to love. In any case, food for thought. Thoughts you can expand as to dig a little deeper. And an interesting perspective on learning to love.
Dive Deep
Originally Posted 12/6/08
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