Love: Worth the Risk?
Love is a beautiful thing.
There’s something about love that makes us see the world differently.
Love in some ways is like nature’s Prozac or Zoloft.
Love can gets us through the most rainy days and the storms of life.
There is something about love that makes the rain seem less severe.
The dark cloud that follows us around seems to diminish when two people recognize a mutual affection for one another. Ever notice that people who are in love are happier, nicer, and seem to be more carefree? The demands and details of life are mere pebbles to step over when we stand on the mountain of love for it seems that nothing is bigger than love.
And despite love’s ability to seemingly lift the cloud of darkness in one’s life, love has the potential to bring the darkest clouds we’ve ever encountered. The person I love the most, my wife, has the greatest potential to hurt me at my deepest core. The voice can become too familiar and comfortable and we begin to have doubts if Love is what it claims to be. Perhpas, it really isn't what it appears to be, particularly with the impending trials that couples face. So, we begin to avoid the what gives us life. With one simple act of betrayal I could be dropped by the hands of love and I could come crashing down just as quickly as my life was lifted by the hands of love.
Love also hurts.
And if you ever have been hurt by love it almost makes it seem not worth the risk that love demands. You’d think that knowing what we know about love, we’d opt for possessions and autonomy.
But because we know of love’s potential for healing, we take the risk, for without love we are nothing.
God had total autonomy and all possessions, why risk love?
As I kneel beneath the cross I see a God and wonder if loving me was worth the risk.
As I stare at the empty tomb, I learn that it was.
That's why I believe in Love.
3 Comments:
I am no one. And I know nearly nothing.
But your last couple of entries have me wondering what it is that may be happening right now between you and your wife, and if your blog is serving right now as a means of indirect dialogue, carefully phrased to communicate pieces of your perspective to her -- however undetectable by the public that may seem to appear.
As you once entitled one of your entries not that long ago, "Pick up the phone."
I know, I know....I know absolutely nothing. Please forgive my lame intuitions.
Dear anonymous,
First, thank you for you thoughtful and somewhat "risky" comment. I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to ask.
I think your intuition may have some validity. Actually, my wife doesn't read my blog or only one rare occasions. I usually tell her what I have written and she often asks about my "blog".
With that said, we are apart and have been for the last five months. I have not seen her since February. It has been very difficult attempting to make a transition across the US to begin a new phase of our lives. Our communication has been limited. We "speak" eveyday but with the demands of her job, my schedule and the time difference, "conversations" have been more rare. To be honest, I miss our conversations. An I am deeply hurt that we haven't made our relationship a priority lately. In a sense, I guess you could say that I feel betrayed in ways.
As I was reflecting on Jesus and Judas this morning and Maundy Thursday I allowed myself to enter the pain of betrayal. I wrote from a deeper place within, I touched my pain as I imagined Jesus' pain of being betrayed by one of his close companions. It hit me that the love and companionship that can often propel us in our mission in life can be the same companionship that sends us to the cross. Judas, perhaps began to doubt that Jesus wasn't who folks claimed he was. Judas, for a moment allowed doubt and fear about Jesus and himself to betray his best friend. With love we run the risk of being stabbed to our core with pain as much as we are given life by the joy by the person we love the most.
God understands and has experienced the hurt, shame and pain of betrayal. Yet, God was willing to risk it all for love.
I cannot experience love fully if I am unwilling to risk betrayal. and sometimes betrayal is the cost of love.
Thank you again for your very caring and considerate comments.
Hump!!! Hey bro, great to hear from you!
Funny, I knew that I loved her the minute I saw her. The truth is, earlier that night prior to our arriving at the dinner, we were shuttled on a bus. I walked past her and said hello and sat about 10 rows behind her. That's when everything we silent for a moment and I heard the words, "Is she the one?"
She has taught me so much about love and giving of oneself. She has made it easy for me to love her. Her beauty comes from the inside out and flows from her heart.
God has touched me and touches me daily by her presence in my life.
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