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