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.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
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
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Perfect Love
A friend of mine recently posted this, and having now read it I cannot help but be inspired to expand and elaborate on such an incredible concept...so read on and prepare to be confounded...
Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone, to have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God says to a Christian, “No, not until you are satisfied and fulfilled and content with living and loved by me alone.
"I love you my child, and until you discover that only in me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with me, exclusive of anyone or anything else, exclusive of any other desires or longings.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait!
"Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you.
“And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love.
"Dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love. I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with me and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty and perfection and love that I offer you with myself. Know that I love you utterly, I am God Almighty. Believe and be satisfied."
This short essay thoroughly encapsulates some of the most awesome ideas that we can possibly grasp about the most fantastic and incredible concept we can come across in our existence: the love of God. In my previous note I attempted to touch on the nature of this love, to convey just how astounding that nature is, and just how spectacular it is to learn. To love. To learn to love. And in my note "A World At War" I briefly went into the reality we live in, the cosmic conflict that rages around us, but "the battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war."
A love story.
In the middle of a war.
The most epic love story.
In the middle of the most epic war.
Better than any movie, book, or stretch of the human imaginiation. That is our reality.
And now, we have a new idea presented here that brings it all into focus.
God is the most fantastic storyteller of all time. Hey, He's the one who created storytelling! And He's authoring His most grand masterpiece in the lives of every single one of the lives of those who have with reckless abandon given Him that life. And it's a love story. The most grand romance of all time, revolved around His Great Romance, a tale of extravagant love, then abandonment, sorrow, and forgiveness, then rejection, suffering, and pain. Then the proof that through it all that same extravagant love has been running alongside, in, and through the entire time, culminating in ultimate sacrifice. And joy. And peace. And mercy.
Love.
It is the grand romance between us retched, lowly, pathetic and depraved, and the most awesome God who loved us so much as to desperately chase after us to the point of death. And the best part is, He gives us the opportunity to feel, express, and relish in that same love here in this life with another who is at the same time experiencing their own miraculous story of love! And our God, the most fantastic storyteller in history, is orchestrating it all! All we need do is follow His lead...
And yet how often do we feel as if we ourselves are sufficiently capable of directing our own tales of love?
But no! How wrong, despicably wrong we are! How are we to even know what this love is without first knowing the One who Himself is Love?! The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless! The depths of His mercy endless! The grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, the longing to experience extravagant love fulfilled.
"And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love."
To love, we must first learn. And He is the great Teacher. And the most hopeless romantic of all time. The things He has in store for us are so unfathomable and incredible, and often this is why we must have faith, have hope in this knowledge. Because we just don't know.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait! Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you."
We just don't know. But He does. Sometimes when I think about this I imagine Him sitting and watching, bouncing up and down like a little kid, smiling as wide as can be, laughing with eager, anxious anticipation at what is about to happen, because it's going to be so awesome, so perfect, that when it finally does come around such love and joy will be found we simply won't know what to do but lift our heads to Him and quietly whisper, "Thank you."
He is our Father, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! He is the one who made us to love in the first place. And in His wisdom and understanding He knows that the time will come when we are ready. But only when we are ready. Because no matter how much pain we may endure on the journey, the prize is more than we can dream of.
He is our Savior, who ran through Hell and back in order to secure our eternity with Him. He endured everything Death, Hell, and the grave could through at Him, and He came through with the keys to the gates of the pit in hand. Now why would someone who loves us that spectacularly drag us out of damnation only to leave us to fend for ourselves, to blindly fumble to discover that love we so deeply require and desperately desire? He gave us the chance to love, to love Him, and to love another. Why would He not see that through to miraculous completion? "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." (Psalm 37:23) Every detail...
And He is our Lover, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! And it is when we can love Him, and only then, that we will truly be able to love another. Because He is that love. That perfect love.
And just imagine, that perfect love flowing not only out of you but out of another! And that current running so strong, so vivaciously, that nothing could ever even hope to stand in its path, to block its flow, to deny the power of the raging waters of that perfect love. How awesome to see the same love in me working in the same love as her, connecting us in a most brilliant harmony, more spectacular than even the most grand of symphonies, a melody utterly overwhelmingly, staggering, every aspect of it surpassing perfection.
The perfect soundtrack to the perfect story. Written by a perfect God.
The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless, the depths of His mercy endless, the grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, fulfillment of the longing to experience extravagant love.
Perfect Love.
Originally Posted 11/4/08
Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone, to have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God says to a Christian, “No, not until you are satisfied and fulfilled and content with living and loved by me alone.
"I love you my child, and until you discover that only in me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with me, exclusive of anyone or anything else, exclusive of any other desires or longings.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait!
"Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you.
“And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love.
"Dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love. I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with me and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty and perfection and love that I offer you with myself. Know that I love you utterly, I am God Almighty. Believe and be satisfied."
This short essay thoroughly encapsulates some of the most awesome ideas that we can possibly grasp about the most fantastic and incredible concept we can come across in our existence: the love of God. In my previous note I attempted to touch on the nature of this love, to convey just how astounding that nature is, and just how spectacular it is to learn. To love. To learn to love. And in my note "A World At War" I briefly went into the reality we live in, the cosmic conflict that rages around us, but "the battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war."
A love story.
In the middle of a war.
The most epic love story.
In the middle of the most epic war.
Better than any movie, book, or stretch of the human imaginiation. That is our reality.
And now, we have a new idea presented here that brings it all into focus.
God is the most fantastic storyteller of all time. Hey, He's the one who created storytelling! And He's authoring His most grand masterpiece in the lives of every single one of the lives of those who have with reckless abandon given Him that life. And it's a love story. The most grand romance of all time, revolved around His Great Romance, a tale of extravagant love, then abandonment, sorrow, and forgiveness, then rejection, suffering, and pain. Then the proof that through it all that same extravagant love has been running alongside, in, and through the entire time, culminating in ultimate sacrifice. And joy. And peace. And mercy.
Love.
It is the grand romance between us retched, lowly, pathetic and depraved, and the most awesome God who loved us so much as to desperately chase after us to the point of death. And the best part is, He gives us the opportunity to feel, express, and relish in that same love here in this life with another who is at the same time experiencing their own miraculous story of love! And our God, the most fantastic storyteller in history, is orchestrating it all! All we need do is follow His lead...
And yet how often do we feel as if we ourselves are sufficiently capable of directing our own tales of love?
But no! How wrong, despicably wrong we are! How are we to even know what this love is without first knowing the One who Himself is Love?! The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless! The depths of His mercy endless! The grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, the longing to experience extravagant love fulfilled.
"And then, when you’re ready, I'll surprise you with love far more wonderful than you would ever imagine. You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working this very minute to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the life I have planned and prepared for you, you wont be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me .. and this is perfect love."
To love, we must first learn. And He is the great Teacher. And the most hopeless romantic of all time. The things He has in store for us are so unfathomable and incredible, and often this is why we must have faith, have hope in this knowledge. Because we just don't know.
"I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you that most thrilling plan existing, one that you can’t imagine. I want you to have the BEST! Please allow me to bring it to you. You just keep watching me, expecting that satisfaction, expecting the greatest things, and know that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait! Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry. Don’t look around at the things others have received. Don’t look at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to me, or you'll miss what I want to show you."
We just don't know. But He does. Sometimes when I think about this I imagine Him sitting and watching, bouncing up and down like a little kid, smiling as wide as can be, laughing with eager, anxious anticipation at what is about to happen, because it's going to be so awesome, so perfect, that when it finally does come around such love and joy will be found we simply won't know what to do but lift our heads to Him and quietly whisper, "Thank you."
He is our Father, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! He is the one who made us to love in the first place. And in His wisdom and understanding He knows that the time will come when we are ready. But only when we are ready. Because no matter how much pain we may endure on the journey, the prize is more than we can dream of.
He is our Savior, who ran through Hell and back in order to secure our eternity with Him. He endured everything Death, Hell, and the grave could through at Him, and He came through with the keys to the gates of the pit in hand. Now why would someone who loves us that spectacularly drag us out of damnation only to leave us to fend for ourselves, to blindly fumble to discover that love we so deeply require and desperately desire? He gave us the chance to love, to love Him, and to love another. Why would He not see that through to miraculous completion? "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." (Psalm 37:23) Every detail...
And He is our Lover, who loves us unconditionally with all He is, who wants the absolute best for us, and who has it! And it is when we can love Him, and only then, that we will truly be able to love another. Because He is that love. That perfect love.
And just imagine, that perfect love flowing not only out of you but out of another! And that current running so strong, so vivaciously, that nothing could ever even hope to stand in its path, to block its flow, to deny the power of the raging waters of that perfect love. How awesome to see the same love in me working in the same love as her, connecting us in a most brilliant harmony, more spectacular than even the most grand of symphonies, a melody utterly overwhelmingly, staggering, every aspect of it surpassing perfection.
The perfect soundtrack to the perfect story. Written by a perfect God.
The One we can test and try, with whom we can fail and flounder, over and over and over again, and yet the reaches of His forgiveness are boundless, the depths of His mercy endless, the grace He offers unconditional and limitless, His patience undying, unyielding, incapable of being broken! In Him alone can we find our satisfaction, perfection, fulfillment of the longing to experience extravagant love.
Perfect Love.
Originally Posted 11/4/08
Monday, September 1, 2008
For God So Loved
We've all heard it, at least what seems like a billion times. It is one of the most, if not the most, widely known verse in the entirety of the Bible. For many of us who have grown up in the church most of our lives it could very possibly have been the very first verse we ever memorized. And yet, for all the times we have heard it or said it or remembered it, it seems as if in all the repetition it often becomes dull, old, mundane, another one of those "oh yeah, been there heard that let's move on to something new and exciting!!" And we completely miss the fact that this most basic foundation of our faith is the most impossibly incredible and utterly astounding concept that we could ever hope to possibly discover.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
Love.
God's Love.
The most incomprehensible aspect of existence and reality that anyone could come across in this world or the next. It is limitless, as no one could ever hope to discover the measure of His love. It is undying, the passion He holds for us unable to be quenched until we run and throw ourselves into his arms with reckless abandon. And even then it cannot be stopped. There is no immovable object that could even have a whisper of a hope to stand against this unstoppable force. Not death, not life, not dark, not light, not demons, angels, depths, heights, past, present, future, not even ourselves, absolutely nothing that has ever been or is or ever will be can possibly stand before the sheer power of the love of our God. And our God IS love. Astounding...
And yet this word love...how often do we hear it? How often do we use it? Just thrown around like another word, another expression, another method to our unending madness? The most incredible force to ever be has been reduced to what? A cliche? I find that ridiculous. If not infuriating.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." ~1 John 3:16
God, the Master and Creator of the universe, the One who has absolutely unlimited power and influence, turns out to be a hopeless romantic. Even in the midst of the most epic battle of all time, for all time, He...loves...us. Us.
"The battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war." ~John Eldredge
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 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 what astounds me even more? We can have this love. We can show this love. The process is long, even too long for this one lifetime, but I guess what makes that so great is that we have a chance to have more than just this one lifetime. To learn. To love. To learn to love. The complexities and depth of love are innumerable. That much I have become certain of. But still, we are a stubborn race. When have we ever let anything that has seemed totally impossible get in our way? And there is lesson one: nothing can possibly get in our way. Not where love is concerned. An unstoppable force.
But how do we grasp this? How do we abandon every preconceived notion and triviality we have contrived about love and discover it's true inconceivable and impossible nature? Love runs through anything and everything, it is inescapable. It is the very foundational reason for anything and everything good. Period. And what is evil but an adverse reaction to that good?
And now we start back at the beginning.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
He came. He died. God Himself. Loves us. Wants to be with us. For eternity. God loves us so much that He came to die so we can be together. Love is Sacrifice. And God is love. And God cannot not do something that is what He is. God cannot not love. Period. And this is the start of reconciling our minds with the incomprehensible love of God. We start with sacrifice.
And another thought...if His love is so incredible that He would be so willing to do this for us then how much more would he take care of the smallest of our pains that we endure in this life? What can we honestly ask for that He will not meet?
Since He cannot not do something that which He is in His absolute perfection, He cannot lie, and He cannot not love. And so why would He not keep the promises He has given? Simple. He wouldn't. Talk about hope...
And to think...this is only the most basic of the most limited of introductions into the unchartable vastness of the idea and reality of love. I haven't even yet scratched the surface...I can't imagine what could come of completely stripping away the misconceptions and irrational and foolish images we associate with the word "love", of wholly discovering the myriad of facets the most priceless of treasures contains. Of diving deep.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13
Originally Posted 9/1/08
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
Love.
God's Love.
The most incomprehensible aspect of existence and reality that anyone could come across in this world or the next. It is limitless, as no one could ever hope to discover the measure of His love. It is undying, the passion He holds for us unable to be quenched until we run and throw ourselves into his arms with reckless abandon. And even then it cannot be stopped. There is no immovable object that could even have a whisper of a hope to stand against this unstoppable force. Not death, not life, not dark, not light, not demons, angels, depths, heights, past, present, future, not even ourselves, absolutely nothing that has ever been or is or ever will be can possibly stand before the sheer power of the love of our God. And our God IS love. Astounding...
And yet this word love...how often do we hear it? How often do we use it? Just thrown around like another word, another expression, another method to our unending madness? The most incredible force to ever be has been reduced to what? A cliche? I find that ridiculous. If not infuriating.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." ~1 John 3:16
God, the Master and Creator of the universe, the One who has absolutely unlimited power and influence, turns out to be a hopeless romantic. Even in the midst of the most epic battle of all time, for all time, He...loves...us. Us.
"The battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war." ~John Eldredge
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 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 what astounds me even more? We can have this love. We can show this love. The process is long, even too long for this one lifetime, but I guess what makes that so great is that we have a chance to have more than just this one lifetime. To learn. To love. To learn to love. The complexities and depth of love are innumerable. That much I have become certain of. But still, we are a stubborn race. When have we ever let anything that has seemed totally impossible get in our way? And there is lesson one: nothing can possibly get in our way. Not where love is concerned. An unstoppable force.
But how do we grasp this? How do we abandon every preconceived notion and triviality we have contrived about love and discover it's true inconceivable and impossible nature? Love runs through anything and everything, it is inescapable. It is the very foundational reason for anything and everything good. Period. And what is evil but an adverse reaction to that good?
And now we start back at the beginning.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16
He came. He died. God Himself. Loves us. Wants to be with us. For eternity. God loves us so much that He came to die so we can be together. Love is Sacrifice. And God is love. And God cannot not do something that is what He is. God cannot not love. Period. And this is the start of reconciling our minds with the incomprehensible love of God. We start with sacrifice.
And another thought...if His love is so incredible that He would be so willing to do this for us then how much more would he take care of the smallest of our pains that we endure in this life? What can we honestly ask for that He will not meet?
Since He cannot not do something that which He is in His absolute perfection, He cannot lie, and He cannot not love. And so why would He not keep the promises He has given? Simple. He wouldn't. Talk about hope...
And to think...this is only the most basic of the most limited of introductions into the unchartable vastness of the idea and reality of love. I haven't even yet scratched the surface...I can't imagine what could come of completely stripping away the misconceptions and irrational and foolish images we associate with the word "love", of wholly discovering the myriad of facets the most priceless of treasures contains. Of diving deep.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13
Originally Posted 9/1/08
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Meant to Be
Just a random thought...
I could not hope to count how many times i have heard thrown around the phrase, "If it's meant to be then it'll happen" or some related sentiment.
But I wonder...
Maybe, sometimes, when we are faced with a situation where some variation of this idea could come into play, instead of sitting around waiting for the pieces to magically fall into place and the object of our desires to be simply placed into our hands, maybe we are actually given a choice...
Maybe, just maybe, God could also be saying, that if we really do want it...
We have the choice to chase after it with reckless abandon and undying conviction until it is within our grasp to cherish, to have, to hold, to love.
Or the choice to just let it go.
But a choice nonetheless.
I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that those who have chosen to surrender their lives to the living Almighty God will be and have been given a guide for that whisper of influence on this world. But although He is incomprehensibly loving, our Father, He is our guide, our teacher; not our puppet master. He will lead us into situations and place opportunity in our paths to show us what His good and perfect will is. And though this inevitably leads into a myriad of other questions and debates, ultimately, sometimes we ourselves do have to make a choice with the very free will He gave us in the beginning.
A choice to fight?
Perhaps...
A choice nonetheless.
So maybe, if it is truly "meant to be" it will happen one way or another. And then maybe we also have been given a choice to decide what we want "to be". Or maybe it's more like, fighting is what will bring what is "meant to be" to be.
A choice to at least fight. A choice to let go.
A choice nonetheless.
We have to remember that different situations merit different responses. Often it very well may come down to a matter of having the wisdom to realize what that response should be, and utilizing an understanding and willingness to see that purpose through. Sometimes we need to let go. Sometimes we need to fight. And sometimes, maybe it is just "meant to be" and it will happen one way or another.
But we also have to take into extremely careful consideration what shape the term "fight" can take depending on the situation it is being applied to. Simple patient and prayerful waiting? Deliberate perseverance through another avenue? Full on and aggressive action in order to chase after it? It is most definitely not always the last one, and there are a myriad of other forms that "fighting" may need to assume. And so we are faced with the absolute imperative to take in to account the possibilities, to weigh and measure the responses we could make, and of course to constantly and continually pray. But we also have to be extremely cautious not to "hear" only that which we wish, that which falls in line with what we desire. And especially that we do not assume that what we want is automatically that which God has said He wants. This is extraordinarily easy to do. We must be aware that to fight more than likely means to face a long and difficult road, one most likely filled with opposition, with disappointment, and possibly even ending in failure. And we must prepare ourselves for such a route. And it is almost definitely not a road we have planned out, that we can see through every twist, turn, and switchback.
And again, maybe what is "meant to be" will just be. Or maybe we just need to let go. Maybe we do need to "fight", whatever that means.
Yeah. It's complicated.
Just a thought.
Originally Published 8/3/08
I could not hope to count how many times i have heard thrown around the phrase, "If it's meant to be then it'll happen" or some related sentiment.
But I wonder...
Maybe, sometimes, when we are faced with a situation where some variation of this idea could come into play, instead of sitting around waiting for the pieces to magically fall into place and the object of our desires to be simply placed into our hands, maybe we are actually given a choice...
Maybe, just maybe, God could also be saying, that if we really do want it...
We have the choice to chase after it with reckless abandon and undying conviction until it is within our grasp to cherish, to have, to hold, to love.
Or the choice to just let it go.
But a choice nonetheless.
I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that those who have chosen to surrender their lives to the living Almighty God will be and have been given a guide for that whisper of influence on this world. But although He is incomprehensibly loving, our Father, He is our guide, our teacher; not our puppet master. He will lead us into situations and place opportunity in our paths to show us what His good and perfect will is. And though this inevitably leads into a myriad of other questions and debates, ultimately, sometimes we ourselves do have to make a choice with the very free will He gave us in the beginning.
A choice to fight?
Perhaps...
A choice nonetheless.
So maybe, if it is truly "meant to be" it will happen one way or another. And then maybe we also have been given a choice to decide what we want "to be". Or maybe it's more like, fighting is what will bring what is "meant to be" to be.
A choice to at least fight. A choice to let go.
A choice nonetheless.
We have to remember that different situations merit different responses. Often it very well may come down to a matter of having the wisdom to realize what that response should be, and utilizing an understanding and willingness to see that purpose through. Sometimes we need to let go. Sometimes we need to fight. And sometimes, maybe it is just "meant to be" and it will happen one way or another.
But we also have to take into extremely careful consideration what shape the term "fight" can take depending on the situation it is being applied to. Simple patient and prayerful waiting? Deliberate perseverance through another avenue? Full on and aggressive action in order to chase after it? It is most definitely not always the last one, and there are a myriad of other forms that "fighting" may need to assume. And so we are faced with the absolute imperative to take in to account the possibilities, to weigh and measure the responses we could make, and of course to constantly and continually pray. But we also have to be extremely cautious not to "hear" only that which we wish, that which falls in line with what we desire. And especially that we do not assume that what we want is automatically that which God has said He wants. This is extraordinarily easy to do. We must be aware that to fight more than likely means to face a long and difficult road, one most likely filled with opposition, with disappointment, and possibly even ending in failure. And we must prepare ourselves for such a route. And it is almost definitely not a road we have planned out, that we can see through every twist, turn, and switchback.
And again, maybe what is "meant to be" will just be. Or maybe we just need to let go. Maybe we do need to "fight", whatever that means.
Yeah. It's complicated.
Just a thought.
Originally Published 8/3/08
Friday, July 25, 2008
Ignorance and Bliss
Recently I have noticed a similar basic idea surfacing on the minds of several around me, so now I ask...
Which to decide:
To search for truth and risk ensnarement by misery or to resign oneself to uncertainty or insanity?
Otherwise known as the old cliche:
Is ignorance really bliss?
Should we ask the question if we don't want the answer? Or is it better to live in the peace of the moment?
Thoughts anyone?
Originally Posted 7/25/08
Which to decide:
To search for truth and risk ensnarement by misery or to resign oneself to uncertainty or insanity?
Otherwise known as the old cliche:
Is ignorance really bliss?
Should we ask the question if we don't want the answer? Or is it better to live in the peace of the moment?
Thoughts anyone?
Originally Posted 7/25/08
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